David Goodrum’s wonderful new collection Abrupt Edges perches the reader at a fascinating vantage point where past, present, and future are all in sight. These powerfully universal poems examine the full arc of a life—cataloging losses and loves, failures and delights of the body and spirit, complications and comforts of family and memory, “what is long done and what is left undone.”
I admire especially Goodrum’s striking lines of self-awareness—“Much like the me you know now/my cremains will be best / in moderation”—and, surfacing alongside them, surprising moments of tenderness: those cremains later imagined as “the dandruff I often leave/on your shoulder, where I will / always long to rest my head.”
“Seek switchbacks without guardrails,” Goodrum’s opening poem challenges. Step into this terrific book; approach the edge. Take it all in. Goodrum’s view from here offers what every good poetry collection should: new perspective, the chance to see yourself more clearly.
—Jennifer Richter, author of Dear Future
I admire especially Goodrum’s striking lines of self-awareness—“Much like the me you know now/my cremains will be best / in moderation”—and, surfacing alongside them, surprising moments of tenderness: those cremains later imagined as “the dandruff I often leave/on your shoulder, where I will / always long to rest my head.”
“Seek switchbacks without guardrails,” Goodrum’s opening poem challenges. Step into this terrific book; approach the edge. Take it all in. Goodrum’s view from here offers what every good poetry collection should: new perspective, the chance to see yourself more clearly.
—Jennifer Richter, author of Dear Future
"In these vibrant poems of identity, nostalgia, generational change, family, and American culture, Goodrum exhibits a true talent for imbuing mundane details with authenticity, layered meanings, and linguistic beauty. But Vitals and Other Signs of Life is so much more than that; it’s also brimming with deep longing, pain, and the kinds of contrasts that speak to larger human truths. Filled with rich and accessible language, these poems are intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging, written by someone with clear eyes and an open, curious heart."
—John Sibley Williams, author of As One Fire Consumes Another
—John Sibley Williams, author of As One Fire Consumes Another
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(photo by Scott Moss)
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"The breakout collection of Ars Poetica poetry by David A. Goodrum, is composed of unique and quirky works with more than a dash of humor perfectly fit for the likes of Audience Askew. So pick up the chapbook Sparse Poetica, release the poet of his responsibilities, write poetry yourself, and, of course, get lost and found in the genre."
— Audience Askew
— Audience Askew
