Things You Will Never See Again
by Greg Watson

(March Street Press)

A stranger you meet on the street, a brief view of Frank Sinatra getting into his limo, the death of a loved one-these are a few images from poet Greg Watson's latest collection, Things You Will Never See Again. I was captivated with the poet's descriptive and Zen-like tone of voice. With a brevity of words Watson was able to capture the essence and feeling of the poem. "Not the River" reminded me of a Haiku or the advice spoken by a Buddhist monk:

Turns out it's not the river
That's crooked, but the mind
That draws its path along
The water's edge.
And in "Credo" we learn to:

Never turn away from
A blessing,
No matter how
Severe.

Watson is quiet and reflective of the world around him, reminding us what we as readers need to take note of. Nature takes on a personal form as the author describes the leaves as talking and carrying on a conversation with the wind. Sights and sounds of nature abound as the poet tells us that "the leaves that gather beneath the sycamore are murmuring again, those low, caustic tones, one or two bristling in protest."

One of my favorites in the collection is "To Wake". There is no mention of characters or plots, but by reading the poem I can imagine there is a story full of mystery and drama hidden behind it.

It is late, the moon is hidden,
The houses lying still,
A distant crack of thunder
Breaking just beyond the horizon.
It is the sound of old wooden ships
Setting forth grudgingly,
The heavy pull of oars,
The stubborn wood shifting.
This is the sound that will carry me off to sleep, or further,
Receding vaguely
Into the thick, wet pulse
Of night, and again
To wake.

Things You Will Never See Again can be viewed as a collection of declarations on the transient nature of life. Many events in our life are a collection of memories, never more to be seen again, but never forgotten.

- Rhonda Niola