2.5 out of 5: Bikeman is a personal mini-epic poem about September 11th written by Thomas Flynn, who experienced that horrible day first-hand on his bicycle near Ground Zero. Using free verse (patterned after Dante's Inferno), Flynn recounts the horrors he witnessed as well as his own near-death experience. Poetry might be the perfect medium for conveying the devastation and despair of 9/11, and Bikeman is haunting and touching in many places. However, viewed objectively, Flynn's poetry is merely adequate for its purpose. Except for a few evocative phrases (“this forever September morning,” “we did not live through it, we just did not die”), Bikeman is too simplistic to convey the depth Flynn is seeking.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Bikeman by Thomas Flynn (a review)
2.5 out of 5: Bikeman is a personal mini-epic poem about September 11th written by Thomas Flynn, who experienced that horrible day first-hand on his bicycle near Ground Zero. Using free verse (patterned after Dante's Inferno), Flynn recounts the horrors he witnessed as well as his own near-death experience. Poetry might be the perfect medium for conveying the devastation and despair of 9/11, and Bikeman is haunting and touching in many places. However, viewed objectively, Flynn's poetry is merely adequate for its purpose. Except for a few evocative phrases (“this forever September morning,” “we did not live through it, we just did not die”), Bikeman is too simplistic to convey the depth Flynn is seeking.
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