Susquehanna

Susquehanna was Michael R. Brown's second volume of poetry, originally released in 2003 as a print edition from Ragged Sky Press. Other books include Falling Wallendas (Tia Chucha), The Man Who Makes Amusement Rides and The Confidence Man from Hanover Press, and The Martin Bormann Dog Care Book (Resolute Bear Press).

The Susquehanna River flows from upstate New York to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is the longest river on the American east coast. The broad, shallow waters also make the Susquehanna the longest, non-commercially navigable river in the country. The river is a slow roll through the countryside, as are the poems in this collection, with sketches of the people found along the river, reminiscent of Spoon River Anthology, people defined by their names, jobs, and standing in the community. Michael R. Brown looks at these lives with an unflinching eye and tells their stories with equanimity, grace, and wit.

Some of the poems in the collection:

The Truck Driver (Spurgeon Wallick)

The Gravedigger (Gus Weil)

The Salesman’s Wife (Grace Russell)

The Garbage Man (John Kurzon)

The Bird Woman (Shelly Kaufman)

The Poet (Gardner Mifflin)

The Librarian (Mildred Slaugh)

The Principal (Dr. Grab)

The Handyman in Winter (Ed Anderson)

The Policewoman (Carol Grab)

The Science Teacher (Fred Bolander)

The Piano Teachers (Gail Fremont and Lydia Montague)

The Fireman (Dick Steffy)

The Doctor (Dorothy Haldeman)

The Town Drunk (Ringneck Showalter)

The Undertaker (Vincent Long)

The Sunday Choir

The Minister (Rev. Wickenheiser)

The Barber (Don Frey)

The Physician (Doc Roeser)

The Namegiver (Nick Weiss)

The Young Mother (Carrie Mahoney)

The Bartender (Babby Keim)

The Lawyer (Douglas Kolb)

The Shopkeeper (Louise Keim)

The Bridge Player (Sarah Greenberg)

The Queen of Front Street (Clarisse Coleman)

The Foundry Man (Charley Amico)

The Jeweler (Jeff Zarfoss)

The Sports Fan (Sox Lockwood)

The Optometrist (Al Hougentougler)

The Vagrant (Stan Weiss)

The Oldest Woman in Town (Patricia Eberhart)

The Professor (Tina Bauer)

The Man Who Owned the Susquehanna (Dutch Wallick)

Mount Bethel Cemetery