I fell in love with Steven Dunn's poetry immediately upon reading the first few poems in Between Angels. Dunn has a quiet, perceptive, and moving voice, as well as a very distinctive style.
As you might imaging, Between Angels contains many poems revolving around Dunn's spiritual background, and the influence of religion on his life. That is not to say that these are "religious" poems like you might find in the Sunday Catholic Herald. These are reverent poems that recognize spirituality and religion in the greater context of Dunn's relationship to the world around him. For example, these lines from the title poem, "Between Angels":
Between angels, on this earth
absurdly between angels, I
try to navigate
in the bluesy middle ground
of desire and withdrawal,
in the industrial air,
among the bittersweet
efforts of people to connect,
make sense, endure.
Dunn's poetry is written to very precisely communicate his message in the most straightforward way you don't have to pick apart lines to figure out what he means. The emotional punch is direct, as in these lines from "Loneliness":
So many different kinds,
yet only one vague word.
There must be words
for what our aged mothers, removed
in those unchosen homes, keep inside,
and a separate work for us
who've sent them there, a word
for the secret loneliness of salesmen,
for how I feel touching you
when I'm out of touch.
For anyone who appreciates sensitive, emotional and very human poems, Dunn will be a delight. I certainly look forward to reading this poet's other collections.
