The Man with the Large Blue Head

Michael Power is a Toronto-based freelance writer.

Bruce Reynolds seems to be trying a little too hard in his second book
of poetry. The language strains the text, as if he’s overreaching for
an image or phrase. The poem “Wall of Dreams” starts with the line
“Postulate a parallel existence,” which immediately alienates the
reader—as does the lofty tone of such poems as “Dark Eyed Woman”
and “Blacksmith.”

Whether consciously or not, Reynolds sometimes slips into clichés.
“The Poet Should Worship Beauty, a Woman” is a perfect example:
“... hair as black as a raven’s eye, / Skin as soft as smooth white
silk; lips like blood ... She should be as lush / As the soil in spring,
as the moist, fresh grass / of morning.” And yet there are some very
good moments, as in “At the Algonquin Hotel,” where every word falls
into place and what emerges is a tight, visually clear poem.

Overall, the collection lacks emotion. At times, this gives the poems a
bland feeling. At other times, as in “Rumours of Mercy,” it produces
an effective sense of eeriness.