Relationship Related and Other Poetry
Anthony B. Ashe
Reviewed by Michelle Boucher-Ladd
Someone once told me that writing good poetry is the same as dancing
well; all rhythm and steps placed effortlessly, words gliding images
across a page. I have never seen Anthony B. Ashe dance but after
reading his book Relationship Related and Other Poetry I know he must
cut a rug till it’s threadbare.
True to its title Ashe’s poems are interconnected by the theme of
relationships. They are grouped by romantic involvement and also by a
more spiritual association. Part One is full of lips and hips and jazz
wrapped up in summer sunset beaches and chocolate covered metaphors.
These poems are sultry but in no way cliché and are not
retailed, as Ashe puts it in his last line of the book, when he writes,
“we pimp our verse for valentines.” These are poems with form, where
you can become lost in the space of rhythm. They are smart with a
subtle humor. I love the poem My Metaphors and I are Mixed in your
Presence. It flaunts wit with lines like “I’ll refrain from trite
verbosity / and acceptable lyrical latitude / in avoidance / of tending
toward the obtuse.” Other poems are more sensual. I loved Friday, In
the Crowd at The Nuyorican Poet’s Café. It is full “of things
that would make you blush” and is the kind of poem you could read
across a pillow. It is lovely in all the right places.
The second part of Relationship Related is a collection of poems that
are more political and also more somber. These are poems that reflect
upon the past and are haunted by themes of slavery, poverty, and
alcoholism. Though their subject is darker than the first collection
these poems are not bitter and have great zeal. Ashe’s sense of style
in the poem Blackstone gives power and depth to a subject that could
otherwise be made prosaic. The first and last stanzas really hooks the
reader “Stone cold / Like black rock / Like black stone / Like
Blackstone, Virginia” and “Just cold / Like cold rock or / Black stone
in / Red Clay in / Blackstone, Virginia.”
Ashe’s collection of poetry has me relating images and experiences of
my own to the subjects of his written muse. I find we have a
relationship related. This is by far one of the best collections of
poetry I have read in a long while. Ashe’s writing is studied and
complex. I find myself rereading and still pondering much of it. If you
are thirsty for poems Relationship Related and Other Poems is a fine
wine, so don‘t gulp!