BOOKS: The Art of Dreaming: Poems by Matt Flumerfelt
May 8—Opening a poetry book by Valdosta resident Matt Flumerfelt is like sitting down for an intriguing conversation with the poet.
Wonderful allusions to figures from history, myth and literature, plenty of dry humor and an opinion or two which one may agree or disagree with, or more likely agree with one opinion and disagree with the next.
But it's all bold, enlightening and refreshing. A stimulating conversation that releases plenty of intellectual endorphins.
Flumerfelt's latest collection of poetry, "The Art of Dreaming," is no exception.
Flumerfelt opens direct lines of observation then delves into more complex word play that requires a working knowledge of history and literature to fully appreciate then concludes with a mini-epic of "Fragments" that comes together like puzzle pieces to create a challenging, satisfying whole.
Of course, referring to "Fragments" as "epic" is possibly unfair to a poet of Flumerfelt's stature.
He penned an actual epic poem with "H: A Picaresque Novel in Verse." Flumerfelt spent more than 25 years writing and re-writing the epic that follows the life of the Greek demi-god Heracles, who is better known by his Roman name Hercules. It was published in 2016.
Like "H," "The Art of Dreaming" is published by Aakenbaaken & Kent and is available from online vendors such as amazon.com, Books-a-Million, Barnes & Noble, etc.
Sweet dreams, indeed, but a couple of well-penned nightmares of warning, too.
