Description—

This pocket-sized chapbook is a collection of collaborative poetry by James Bertolino and Anita K. Boyle. The poems range from wacky to contemplative. This little book made it big when it was used as a creative writing text at Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois. It is in its second printing.

The poetry in this chapbook is a result of the collaborative efforts of James Bertolino and Anita K. Boyle—and perhaps a little wine or beer may have been involved. Sitting in a crowded pub is often too noisy for conversation, but ideal for collaborative poetry: write a line or two and pass the page. The reading of these poems is best done whilst in the company of similar spirits.

Comments—

"Never diviates into sense." —Dryden

"Who writes poetry imbibes honey from the poisoned lips of life."

—W.R. Benét

"Every poem should be made up of lines…."

—Emerson

"A perfect nonplus and baffle to all human understanding."

—Southey

"Imagination rules the world." —Napoleon

Crawl Space

The man with
Lou Gehrig's disease,
he couldn't speak—vocal
cords gone, I guess, hole
in the neck surgery—crawled
because he no longer
walked, crawled with the children
who came to his daughter's day
care center. He got down
with the children and delighted
them by placing his speaking device
to his neck. They giggled and flailed
their arms to hear such unearthly
sounds from an old man
with them on the floor.

—James Bertolino and Anita K. Boyle