John Knoepfle's latest book The Aloe of Evening is the best collection of poems you will read this year. Knoepfle [pronounced know-full] has command of our spoken language few writers will ever achieve. And he knows exactly where the golden thread of each poem is. His poems have both breadth and emotional depth. One poem within this book begins with sadness profound enough to make the reader cry, and closes with humor strong enough to make this reader laugh out loud. As early as the second poem cameo appearances are made by Horatio and Hamlet. Further into the book the poet raises a question about Shakespeare's second bed. He writes amazing lines here. In one poem "the world falls out of orbit"; in another clowns are "cartwheeling at some other circus." In a poem titled "What Happened to this Computer," he reveals his art by showing the reader word-by-word problems computers can cause, and we laugh because he is saying what everybody has felt. Here are the first two lines from "The Parade Has Ended," "How do you walk out of yourself / beyond the trail of words." Well friends, this book has poems about family, friends, remembrances, zany poems, dream poems, poems about aging, many are spiritual, and a few are about writing. I have been reading poetry books for 50 years. This is the best one I've read. But do not take my word for it. Buy this book! Read it aloud! Listen to the nuances spun into the language, and decide for yourself! -Victor Pearn
