By Caprice Hogg
Plumstuff is a book of poetry and sketches that kept me coming back for more. From the very first few lines where Rolli writes “If I ever write a book so bland it’s championed by every living critic seize my pen,” his wit and humour made me pause and contemplate my book review before I even started it! The poems in this book cover a wide range of topics, and the book was well laid out. Rolli writes about the critics, about philosophy, opinions, politics and so much more. I would put the book away and then pick it up again another day, open it to a random page and simply read and re-read. It allowed me time and space to ponder.
My favourite poems were the ones with fewer words. In my opinion, the fewer the words, the better the poem was. It gave me the opportunity for my mind to wander, absorb, and feel the emotion in the moment. The less words there were on the page the more I was able to take it in.
This is a book for those who truly love words. The words chosen are descriptive and lyrical and to the point. This shows the talent of the author, because it is no easy feat to bring about emotion with only a few syllables. In good writing and in good art, it is far easier to express oneself in lengthy diatribes; to use words and lines sparingly is an achievement.
The power in the simplicity of in his sketches was similar to his poetry. The fewer lines there were, the stronger the sketch was. The lines allowed the viewer’s mind to fill in the blanks and become a part of what was happening on the page. His compositions were strong, and I enjoyed the change in values from the black lines to the gray lines.
The sketches and poetry complemented each other. After reading and re-reading this book, I cannot imagine one without the other; the sketches are just as important as the poetry and vice versa.
To quote one of Rolli’s poems, “Though no one’s swung by anyone’s opinion the redundant tongue worms on.” As such, in my opinion, this book is for anyone who enjoys poetry or who would like to spend time getting to know poetry. While not every poem spoke to me, these poems will take the reader by the hand and lead them on a journey.
I would like to thank the author Rolli for the complimentary copy of his book “Plumstuff” in exchange for an honest review.