Ten Commandments

First, I want to mention how I stumbled on this book. With luck I did stumble on it, too. I was searching for poetry about The Ten Commandments. This is a book that is like a series of confessions and conceits, a book about living life and the failings that we even good people have when it comes to the yardstick of The Ten Commandments. A lively hardback, to my surprise the book arrived with a charming art-like dustcover, in hardbook, on good paper and well layed out all for a song. Remember, I'd not heard a word of this book of poetry before finding it. Now I am a fan of J.D. McClatchy, for anyone who can capture and poetically state a tenor of lives caught in living, and wrought with a poet's sense is someone well worth the time to consider. I suppose I am raising my very modest voice to a host of others, but mostly I am saying this is probably an overlooked book because it says "Ten Commandments." Take Adultery: "Out beyond your head, slumped now over your breasts, the horizon's Hit on the day's first mirage--lolling palms, a milky water hole,..." No other God: "Week after week I've had to wwatch the old needle tracks and the new habits-- aerobics, twelve-step meetings, the soup kitchen-- so where you used to speak in tongues, now it's a day-glo bumper stickers, meaning given way to motto."... So what if you're religious and looking for something theological? Maybe this isn't on the ordinary or extra-ordinary reading list? Maybe it should be. I think so. It's also a kind of entertaining book. One should not say "kind of" but here it fits because like good poetry this entertains, but it also brings the world a little larger and through its use of words and ideas widens the spectrum for this reader. I recommend this book to people interested in learning about our American world in a sophisticated rendition of modern, free verse poems on The Ten Commandments. I came across it by surprise, and you, too will find it worth the time to read and a prize--I hope, as did I. You can see I liked this book of poems. --Peter Menkin, Mill Valley, CA USA

Fine, fine poems. Definitely NOT cheap, vulgar, mean-spirited or disgusting, as another reader found them. And not a tract on the ten commandments in any hyper-religious sense (not a theological book, obviously).

this is a book of poetry that should get people reading poetry again. not only is it miles above any book of poetry published in recent memory, i am sure i will not read anything that will surpass it in the near future. ten commandments is a book that will burn your fingers as you turn the pages. the year's best book of poetry is an understatement.