Time and Money: New Poems

Self-Help is one of the most luminous poems I've ever had the pleasure to read. I memorized the whole thing through at one time just so I could enjoy the pleasure of the words falling through my head whenever I wanted to. Mr. Matthews is the Charlie Parker of verse.

I have often struggled with simplicity. For a piece of writing to be luminous it must be laden with words, and through all of those words abstraction will make us feel as though the effort marks it as wondrous, right? Perhaps, but Matthews offers only concrete images, words that mask very little but bring beauty to every circumstance they would illuminate. Here, simplicity serves poet and reader very well.My favorite piece is "Social Notes from All Over: Mt. Olympus"--the classical, fantastical setting is infinitely appealing. Matthews has gods "cross dressing as mortals" ever aware, though just as eager to remain deluded, that all they have is nothing at all. If I paid for this poem alone I would have been satisfied.There is a great deal of grief in these pages, and more than a little bit of sadness, but as trite as it sounds, there is a sense of elation to be found as well. Poetry should always leave us with some thought, we should think of it fondly, want to recite it if only to ourselves if we can--Matthews affirms all that.