Sermon from a Stammerer by Micheal Ace

As I read these poems, I was cast into a different terrain of poetic consciousness. I am familiar with the poet and his thematic engagement. I am fully aware of Michael Ace‟s innovation and eclecticism when it comes to poetry and art. But this anthology comes at one with a piercing rod, rod which prods into the very existence of the reader, through the design of the poet. There is no doubt that Ace intends to sound didactic by titling his work in a religious tone. A sermon is, as a matter of fact, religious and symbolic. However, a contrasting edge is introduced, that of a “stammerer.” The title, therefore, suggests a deliberate contortion of the familiar, an apparent design to deconstruct the known, and set the tone for a serving of heightened satire, a mockery of the norm, and presentation of a future built on hope and dreams.

The choice of poems is instructive. From revealing his desire for a caring mother to touching on issues of domestic violence, as shown in “redemption” to social issues such as rape, to the treatment of love – and its mockery and hopelessness, Ace is focused on telling a story in a unique way, a way totally different from the familiar. His simplistic approach makes his telling more relevant. His themes are connecting; his language peels the skin on the reader‟s body.

The delicateness, an almost unassuming use of language, makes the poems so striking that the reader will read many times to fully grasp the richness of each poem, without being able to let go at the first read. The ability to achieve this is of great note.

Poetry is art and heart. It is not just the use of words as stated in this stanza: “Call not a poem just / For it‟s the colony of words / Weaved with the brain and blood / Read a poem with an eye / That knows the secrets of pride / And how words wing the universe” (One Poem, One Pound). Ace invites the reader to explore the magic of poetry, a magic only experienced when the reader yields to the conviction of the stammerer’s sermon, the power of dissimilar similitude.

Thank you.