13thWR

Gerbils Eat Their Young by Ryn Gargulinski (self-produced, \$5.00, 18pgs)

Ryn Gargulinski's collection is, like most first offerings by young poets, a mixed bag of early missteps along with poems that give us a glimpse of the writer's promise.

At her best, Ms. Gargulinski demonstrates a wry, absurdist wit that's as irresistible as your first kindergarten crush: "I always got stuck
with the dead ones
the tall ones
. . . or the only black guy
in an all-white school
intended to shock
my mother who ended up
in fact
liking him
better than me."

Or this one about a penny "that was thrown from heaven
by angels like Annette
who die much too soon -

but then
nobody dies when you
want them to."

Her poetry is aided to good effect by her quirky line drawings which give this chapbook the feel of a children's poetry book for adults - a Shel Silverstein goes to Hell vibe, if you will. And, her missteps aren't really bad, just unoriginal, like "Poet's Cry to the Editors" which is the kind of piece in every young poet's repertoire and elicits a ho-hum, so what response from the reader.

While I can't whole-heartedly recommend this slim offering at a five-dollar price point (\$3.00 is a fairer price), I am very much looking forward to her second collection.

- reviewed by JCE