Jaime Forsythe's debut poetry collection, Sympathy Loophole (Mansfield Press) is a remarkable read. Within this slim volume, meditation on family, loss and mourning co-exist alongside a ventriloquist dummy, a shark in a jar, and a man in a gorilla suit . Jesus appears in a bowl of cling peaches. I knew right away this was going to be interesting!
Each poem is meticulously crafted. "In
Shark in a Jar" the shark is described thus: "his smile a slit
throat". Sympathy Loophole manages to be many things; at times the tone is dark and menacing at other times it is profoundly moving or sublimely hilarious. The author adroitly covers a
wide range of subjects and characters, moods and styles. Poems are spare but redolent with evocative and playful imagery.
These deliciously surreal inventive poems deserve
to be savoured. I hope to see more from this poet in the future. In the meantime I will just have to read and delight (over and over again) in Sympathy Loophole!
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