G. E. Kruckeberg

Belshazzar and Antigone G. E. Kruckeberg

Belshazzar and Antigone, the title poem from this collection, is a tale of two cats, whose lifestyle reflects a set of values that, it is suggested, we might all adopt to our advantage. Eighty-nine other poems, ranging in tone from serious to humorous, both celebrate and satirize the human condition. The subject matter covered ranges from History (The Alamo, The Monkey Law) through Nature (Sea Moods, Clouds), Religion (The Ten Commandments, Karma), Philosophy (Credo, Play The Game), and Politics (Wizard Without A Wand, Liberals) to the American Experience (The Boomers, Seven Days), with a liberal sprinkling of pure nonsense (Irving Wallenstein, An American Tragedy) to provide comic relief along the way. There are no abstruse, free verse exercises in Dadaism between the covers of this book. These are poems written for the people, in the style of Johnson, Lovelace, and Shakespeare, with lines that rhyme and conclusions that not only make sense but make you think.