I travel in rusting burned-out sedans

Poems that dive move surprise. Lyrical laments. Love poems. Rants with bite. Poems from the corner of Lyric and Strange. A hip-hop sermon/montage on America and the state of its dream. Sardonic humor. Its all there and more in Jim Bohens first book of poetry I travel in rusting burned-out sedans.Its in slices from a life of writing -- remembering the first day of school singing the rock band blues growing older grandparent-hood. Its in the ominous tone that lurks behind the opening poem quiet to the weary rhythmic distress of the closing Cycle.In between there are tender looks at the past. bitter rants about injustice and mortality. Theres some delightful fun whether its playing with a word like tell deciding what to do with the kids stuff once theyve moved out celebrating a first grandchild with some clever exuberance or delving into memories of secretly listening for late-night baseball scores on a hidden radio.Sometimes lyrically wistful occasionally surrealistic always thoughtful Bohens poems probe and preach smile and reflect snap and snarl. And wherever the poems travel -- to challenging down-to-earth dark funny and more -- they bring back insights and give readers a chance to luxuriate in the poets lifelong love of words his meant-to-be-read-aloud rhythms and his unique use of rhyme. And everything found in a surprising variety of very satisfying poems.