X

With a keen eye for detail, and in a way that is accessible and clear, Worth Bateman describes the fullness of life through the lens of ordinary events, and the hard truths, pleasures, foibles and follies familiar to us all.

He writes in a style that is thoughtful, ironic, good-natured, and wise, as in these lines from the title poem on the parallels for a young teenager between learning algebra and the pull of sexual attraction:

I remember it was fun
once we got the hang of it
perhaps a little taste of power
playing in this algebraic world,
solving for the unknown quantity;

not unlike the feeling I had a few years
later close dancing at the Junior Prom:
after a little bit of trial and error,
learning how to do it right,
then having the fun of solving for x.

And in these lines on loves many facets:

lasting love seems like a set of skills,
like a trade or craft we slowly learn
to make a work worth being part of

only love makes our life worthwhile
but love wont save us in the end

He asks us to think outside the usual norms:

Time marches on
but suppose it didnt?
Time waits for no man
but suppose it did?...
Coming to poetry late, after another long, successful, and very different career, Worth Bateman is an impressive new voice on the poetry scene. For poetry, a late bloomer.