Jim Murdoch's "This Is Not About What You Think"

This is Jim Murdoch.  He's Scottish. He's intelligent. When you read stuff he's written and understand it, you feel intelligent too.

I can't even begin to pretend that I know how to review a book, but what I can tell you is why I enjoyed this collection of poems.

Jim writes how you wish you could write, but not so much that the jealousy prevents you from laughing at the things you wish you'd said, like, "I'd give my childhood a three. That's me being generous." This is from his poem, "Marks."

His poems follow a thoughtful progression with "Advice to Children" interspersed throughout - things you probably are happy to read now, but glad you didn't have to hear when you were a child. This, from "Imaginary Friends: "People leave; it's what they do..."

As you read along, you will be struck by his wit and adeptness. You'll be thinking, "Oh, there's so much humor here. This is a fun book." But at page 39, your breath will catch in your throat. The poem "Still Birth" will make you realize this man can not only be glib, but he has a depth of feeling that transcends gender barriers. Then you will go back and reread his poems with new eyes.

A major theme in Jim's life is THE TRUTH. You will see it here. In his poem "Shadowplay," he says, "What are lies but truths gone rotten and secrets lie in that no man's land between the two." Man, I wish I'd written that, because I think it's so true.  The major theme of his blog and novel, Living with the Truth is found in "Old Flames In the Rain."   

"...and the truth about lies

is we can't live without them.

Not even the white ones."

The title of this collection is ironic because Jim gives you permission right away to make of these poems something he never intended or imagined so it pretty much is about what you think.

 Click HERE to order
to read excerpts - http://www.jimmurdoch.co.uk/think_excerpt.html

Poem 20: Truth Blues (or, "oh no you di'int")

been in trouble all my life

for digging truth,

unearthing reluctant bones.

been driven with other shovelers

to shallow harbors
where thin-lipped 
coloration specialists

quibble over niggling nits.

I'll tell you 

like it isn't.

© 2010 by Kathryn Feigal. All rights reserved. 

"...no matter how hard I try to be brutally honest with myself, about myself, I keep changing, morphing, evolving/devolving. I've seen cherished beliefs crash and burn. This business of truly knowing the Truth about oneself is a never-ending challenge.  As for divining the truth about others? It's a matter of faith. "
- Jonas Dikinis

"...we should all aspire to the truth, but we should be realistic when it comes to our abilities. Truths are not cold facts and the simple - okay, not very simple - truth is that everything I do is a consequence of everything I have done before. We're constantly course correcting, a degree here, a degree there. Truth is also and assemblage, something we construct over years. The best we can end up with is something that resembles the truth in just the same way a photograph resembles the sitter, an aspect of the sitter at least, at that point in time. In that respect truth is like memory. There are old truths in fact probably the ony way to identify any truth is after the fact which is why the sculptor or the painter steps back from his work from time to time because when he is involved in it he is too close to the truth to see it for what it is."  - Jim Murdoch


"...and that's the truththththth!" - Lily Tomlin, as Edith Ann

...leaving town now. I appreciate all those who have stuck with me and my very unpoemlike daily offerings. I appreciate all your careful readings and comments. Don't know if poetry is 'my thing,' but connecting with y'all certainly is! Please click on the Jim and Jonas links. You won't be disappointed (that is, if you are interested in The Truth).

Death and Truth

This is a wonderful book written from the perspective of 'death.'  It's supposedly for young adults, but I'm wondering about this classification because the content is so 'adult.' I bought it because a fellow blogger recommended it (www.thehollydays.blogspot.com). It got me thinking about the books I'd stolen. I can't remember the title of the first one because, years after the theft, I returned it to the library. The guilt was eating me up, mostly because I equate reading with being morally superior.

The second book I stole was "The Once And Future King." I borrowed it from a friend and I never bothered returning it. I feel really guilty about this one, because the friend is now dead (she died of breast cancer - this is another whole post - 14 women that I grew up with, within a one mile radius, have or had breast cancer - and that's just the ones I know about - 'downwind theories' anybody?).

The third (and I hope the last) book I stole was this one:

When I performed with Utah Opera's outreach program to the schools, we travelled to Hildale/Colorado City - home of the polygmists. This was a couple of years before they moved to their compound in Texas. We did a very cute operatic version of "Little Red Riding Hood." While I was in the teacher's lounge, I spotted this yearbook. After seeing so many children with braids and eyes on the sides of their heads, I knew I had to have this book. Here is the page with Allen Steed, who twenty years after this picture was taken, was married to his under-aged cousin in a ceremony performed by Warren Jeffs. Both were prosecuted, but I believe Allen is innocent, considering the inbreeding and his years of conditioning in the sect

(and besides, look at his face. He is in the middle, bottom row with glasses).

Allen at trial.
This breaks my heart,
but the statutory rape
of his cousin
is also wrenching.








Another book like "The Book Thief," written from an interesting perspective is "Living with the Truth." This is a book written by fellow blogger, Jim Murdoch (www.jim-murdoch.blogspot.com). Instead of death, his character gets to spend an infuriating two days with the personification of truth. You can buy this book here.