Shin Yu Pai "sightings," selected works, (200 - 2005)

Shin Yu Pai "sightings," selected works, (200 - 2005) $16.00 1913 Press www.1913press.org 1913 pressbox 9654hollins universityroanoke, virginia 24020


The rhythm of Shin Yu Pai’s book, ‘sightings’ reaches
from present form to past particles. her form often
sings. broken into four parts, each section holds it’s
own beat. ‘the love hotel poems,’ blast us with
reality…”jesus the name of just another john.”
consumerism and the philosophy of consumerism are
attacked in a sublime soak, and we readers blot up the
excesses.

the second set of poems kick off, “unnecessary
roughness,” the locker room, band practice lists, the
ever present dilemma poets face in presenting their
own time. Shin Yu Pai plucks us out of the ordinary
and dips us in the opposites. the poet ties us up and
makes us listen. she sits us in front of a video
screen, “concave is the opposite of convex,” her
explanation an assumption in explanation. the line
surface reveals the motionless scenes taken from
books.

“nutritional feed.” i don’t think the poet
understands; (or perhaps she does) she doesn’t have to
hide messages, need not hussied up with old
typewritten, bold face text, tests. she ventures off,
ventures in space without….. she presents an array of
images that might work better through integration,
words crossed out don’t make it visual. If the reader
scrapes off some of the presentation within the last
section, we come upon universal
thoughts…experimentation, the need to differ and
relate.

Shin Yu attempts to orchestrate a new approach to say
what each generation needs to say, (life is not what
we thought it could be). This book is the beginning of
an aging form, the beginning of what appears to be new
and challenging. it is worth the read. check this book
out of your library and if they don’t have a copy,
then make a suggestion for them to purchase this book

irene koronas is the poetry editor of the Wilderness House Literary Review http://whlreview.com