As It Came Upon Me

Bert Almon is a professor of English at the University of Alberta and
author of Calling Texas.

These poems fall into the category of popular rather than literary verse, and the influence of pop songs is apparent in their rather mechanical use of rhymed stanza forms. House is generally sentimental and didactic: he tells us that “in this world there’s nothing quite like love,” and that we should “give of ourselves in a meaningful way.” He is in favour of piety and often expresses loneliness. The reader begins to crave some specific details after a while, a sign that something genuine has been felt or imagined. Fine sentiments are not enough to make rhymes into poetry. Anyone who has judged a literary contest knows that many people write verses like these. It is surprising to find them in print, however.