Part Of, a chapbook of poems by Washington, D.C., poet Hiram Larew, won the ARTSCAPE Literary Arts Award for Poetry and was published with support from the Maryland Humanities Council.
Larew's poetry is a treasure chest of word juxtapositions that will temporarily transport you to a fantastical world where verbs can become adjectives, or even emotions.
Sometimes, Larew can get downright playful in his use of language, as in "By Watching":
I listen to your advice so closely
That mice stop to look back over their shoulders at us
And I read in the corner of your eye
Even though it's worrisome as frost
Larew also uses his metaphors to get us across serious issues. Many of his poems recount deeply emotional memories, like in the title poem "Part Of":
Going is always going
It never stops leaving or waving
What in the world do we do
With these wish we would haves
When they start to stand up all around us.
I've had the pleasure of seeing Larew read his poetry both as a featured reader, and at open mics around the Washington, D.C., area. It's a real treat for me to be able to pull out his chapbook and reread my favorites any time I want.
