A.E. Stallings, Archaic Smile

Reviewed by Jerry H. Jenkins

Archaic Smile
by A. E. Stallings
The University of Evansville Press
1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville IN 47722
ISBN 0-930982-52-5

I imagine most of us have read Alicia Stallings' poems on the various web sites that include or feature them, but when I read those examples of her work, they were so attractive and memorable that I wanted to read more, so it was good news to learn that her poems have appeared in her new book, "Archaic Smile". Now that I've read it a couple of times, I want to post these impressions. This isn't a full review, as I don't feel qualified to undertake anything that ambitious, nor does my background qualify me as a reviewer. Still, I'm enthusiastic. With that disclaimer, here's what I found.

The poems in "Archaic Smile" are easy to read, but not simple. Their clarity is part of, but also belies, their elegance. The book is organized into four major thematic sections: "Underworld", "A Bestiary", "Tour of the Labyrinth", and "For the Losers of Things".

"Underworld" and "Tour of the Labyrinth" present poems with mythological themes. "Underworld" suggests an afterlife not far from the familiar, in which darkness, vagueness, tedium, futility and frustration are shown to us, and in their unspectacular way are as frightening as more spectacular visions of hell. Alicia Stallings' close attention to detail in "Hades Welcomes His Bride" and "Persephone Writes a Letter to Her Mother" reveal her imagination and her extraordinary powers of invention and delight cited by Dana Gioia in his comment on the back cover.

"A Bestiary" assembles several poems in which birds, a loggerhead turtle, monkeys, roaches, and other species appear, revealing us to ourselves and in the end, turning us back toward a realization that the underworld is never so very far away. Among the poems in this section is "Watching the Vulture at the Road Kill". It's among my all-time favorite poems for the startling precision of its description of the vulture's aerodynamic characteristics. It's the kind of poem that makes you want to jump out of your chair and say "Yes!" This poem is so good that I won't quote any part of it — you'll have to read it yourself. I would have paid book price for that one poem.

In "A Tour of the Labyrinth", Stallings brings mythical and legendary characters to life as if they were contemporary. "Apollo Takes Charge of His Muses" exemplifies this collection well. The Muses might easily be a staff listening to their newest boss's uninformed enthusiasms, knowing (or perhaps planning) that wishing for a thing doesn't make it so. "Consolation for Tamar" displays an unusual sensitivity and diplomacy on the occasion of the accidental breaking of an antique pot — a sensitivity that encompasses not only the speaker and Tamar, who breaks the pot, but animates, enfolds and respects the broken artifact as well. The poem that gives this section its name, "Tour of the Labyrinth", treats the Minotaur with similar consideration, and I found myself in sympathy with the creature through the archaeologists' speculations about the poignant quality of its final days. "Daphne" and "Tithonus" are remarkable poems, and should be read without my revealing their content, but I should say that the graceful metrical excursion in the third stanza of "Tithonus" makes it worthwhile reading.

The poems that comprise the final collection, "For the Losers of Things" are more varied than the ones of the first three sections, and appear to be more autobiographical, or reflective. I wasn't taken with these poems in their entirety as I was with the others, but I'd read the book repeatedly for the melancholy "The Machines Mourn the Passing of People". And certainly the burden and duty of solipsism represented in "Why Reason Can't Overcome an Irrational Fear" will appeal to anyone who has engaged in superstitious and ritual behavior.

Within the limits of its undertaking, "Archaic Smile" obeys Umberto Eco's reminder that it is the duty of every civilized person to be ready, if necessary, to recreate the encyclopedia. Having read this excellent collection, I'm glad I bought the book. Alicia Stallings gives us a reason to like poetry, and a reason to write as well as we can. That may be enough, because if we can't all write as well or as convincingly as she does, we can try to follow her example. And for the sheer pleasure of reading poetry, you should always have this book close to hand.

Jerry H. Jenkins