The republic of Lies: Poems by Ed Ochester. (ADASTRA PRESS
16 Reservation Road, Easthampton, MA 01027 (413)527-3324, (413)549-2201 fax
Ed Ochester, 68, has had a long career as a poet and editor. He is the editor of the Pitt. Poetry Series and co-editor of the poetry journal 5A.M. Ochester, is well into the second half of the rollercoaster ride, but still has more than a bit of the rebel flowing through his veins. His poetry seems to cut through all the posturing and smoke and mirrors society throws at us, and cuts to the chase. In the poem “ Butterfly Effect” the poet takes broad swipes at the lies we all tell ourselves as we “plod along.”
“ I am thinking of all the Americans, who believe that in former lives,
they were Catherine The Great or Nefertiti ,
and all the ones who believe,
in the butterfly effect…
some jerk who farts in Albuquerque,
might trigger a typhoon in Sumatra,
though if that were true we’d have more storms then Jupiter and
the earth already would be destroyed…
all of us poor dumb fucks,
heads filled with shit
muttering to ourselves
as we plod along.”
And here is a poem that pays homage to all those “ rebels without a cause”: “Why I love Teenagers::
“In Holiday Park, PA
the Burger King
has put out a signboard advertising
for late-night employees
and some kid
contemptuous
of minimum wage
the ‘free enterprise system”
and possibly even
“In God We Trust”
has stolen the “C” from the sign
so that it reads:
“Now hiring Losers.”
Highly Recommended.
Doug Holder/ Ibbetson Update
