Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle and Other Modern Verse. Edited by Stephen Dunning et al, Lothrop, 1967.

We do not review very many poetry books here. We do not get many to review and, frankly, some we do get we prefer not to post our reviews for various reasons. Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle and Other Modern Verse is different. It is a great collection of poems well worth reading. I recall reading it when it came out in the sixties, and I thought it was worth a re-read.

Most poems in this collection are simple and direct with imagery and, typical of much modern (as opposed to postmodern) verse, with a clever twist at the end. The editors seem to prefer poems with natural imagery such as “August from my Deck” or “African Sunrise.” But there are even a few about sports such as “The Base Stealer” or “Foul Shot.”

Some poets are well known. E.E. Cummings’ “In Just Spring” is a classic. The Robert Frost selection “A Patch of Old Snow” may be less well known but it fits well into the imagist genre with which he is associated.

Like many poetry collections, this will not take too long to read. There are only 127 pages, many with photographs, and most printed pages have a single poem. However, like all good poetry some will probably make a reader linger.

The poems reflect many emotions, but that is what good poetry does. This is a collection of good poetry—and one that is appropriate for anyone from about age eight on up. In other words, no profanity, no political rants, no porn like a lot of modern stuff that passes as poetry. I almost feel like a politician: “It’s not that I abandoned poetry; it’s that poetry abandoned me.” “How to Eat a Poem” opens the book and sets the tone. The title poem ends it, and it is an appropriate finish. The book itself is like a gift. Enjoy.