Marfan

I am qualified to comment on Marfan by Peter Reading because I live in Far West Texas and know most of the people and places Reading addresses in his poem. There is, simply, nothing so utterly surreal and yet completely real as life in the Big Bend. Reading's acerbic, outsider-as-insider observations of the contradictions of life there are wonderful. He juxtaposes visions of the baby Jesus on a tortilla with Border Patrol abuses, flaring sunsets with tumbleweeds, and hip, urban artists with donkey-riding transients. Reading, a poet from England, only lived in Marfa for a year, yet he manages to touch on the concerns of the people, especially the gradual encroachment of the outside world upon this somewhat forgotten and neglected area. This book-length poem is a compendium of observations, experiences, and musings. No doubt Reading had never experienced such a crazy place and it's unlikely Marfa will ever be the object of such a fun literary tribute again. Even though Reading thinks he's persona non grata in Texas, he's welcome back any time. We need the occasional reality check.