The Porcine Canticles

David Lee should be on every shelf in every library. His poetry is sit-down, read-straight-through, sigh-with-contentment stuff. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be shocked and be enlightened, and the next time you go out for groceries you'll look with love on every character standing in line, especially at the rural Wal-Mart. In this plastic world, we need the reality of David Lee, and that means Pigs with Wings, Pigs that take you places, Pigs that go right to the heart of what makes us appreciate our own piggy, messy, beautiful selves.

I received this book of poems, sat down and read them all straight through--I couldn't stop. Beautiful poetry with wonderful stories. I cannot remember reading a collection of poems by a single author that I have enjoyed this much. I plan to buy more of David Lee's work--this was absolutely magnificent.

Don't let the title fool you, these are outstanding pieces of humor and drama written on a unique subject matter.

This book could single-handedly create a popular audience for poetry. Poets and non-poets alike will enjoy these poems. In these inter-connected poems, John, Dave, Jan, and Blackula toil into our hearts. You'll never forget the heartbreaking "For Jan, With Love," where Jan's "little hands" labor all night to save John's red sow. Meanwhile, poems like "The Chain Letter (An American Tragedy)" will have you and your friends in stitches (these poems are splendid read aloud). I've often asked my college-level students to read this book, and it's never failed to please every student. Some students come to it reluctant to read about pigs in the dialect of a rural farmer, but Lee's humor and humanity wins everyone over. David Clewell has said of David Lee, "He doesn't have time for small talk, he's too busy with real and vital things to say: he entertains us, enlightens us, makes us laugh and feel good laughing, makes us taste the sadness of our world." If you buy one book of poetry in your life, buy this one.