Beyond: Selected Poems
by Marcel A. Duclos
167 Poems ~ 264 Pages
Format: 6” x 9” ~ Perfect Bound
Price: $18.95
Publisher: Black Forest Publishing
ISBN: 9798352075418
To Order: Amazon.com


Reviewed by Michael Escoubas

The last line of Lucille Clifton’s poem, “Mulberry Fields,” is an ideal segue into Marcel A. Duclos’ latest collection, Beyond: Selected Poems.

Clifton’s line: “bloom how you must i say,” bears testimony to Duclos’ poetic life. Duclos avers that early in his profession as a clinical psychotherapist, he was often chided for his poetic tendencies. This, among other factors, led him into the world of poetry. Beyond traces the seeds of Duclos’ poetic development. This poet has been “blooming” ever since.

I have often asked myself: “What if poetry contained healing powers?” “What if poetry served as a kind of sanctuary; a place to collect ourselves, to acquire fresh perspectives?” Knowing something of the poet’s background and his concern for helping people cope with life, I began to consider Duclos’ poems within a restorative orbit. It is from this perspective that I undertake my review.


Structure

Beyond is organized under fifteen section headings. Each heading identifies the period of composition. The headings themselves capture my interest: “We Splash Dust Together,” “Encounters at Random Along the Way,” “In the Moment,” “Morning Poems,” “Ariadne’s Thread,” and “Aesop and Buddha in Conversation.”


Stylistic Features

Given the poet’s intellectual and academic background, don’t expect easy answers to life’s hard questions. This is one of Duclos’ strongest traits. He treats topics such as disappointment, aging, illness, and death, without sacrificing goodness. For Marcel Duclos, life is full of joy. His joy, however, is won at a cost. This poet is “familiar” with suffering. His poetry bears testimony to a life of intense thought, a life of seeing and caring for the hearts of people. Wallace Stevens has written, “Poetry helps us live our lives.” Stevens’ dictum proves out in Selected Poems. The next day waits, the next day beckons, let’s do this thing another day.

I love the joy in this unconventional sonnet entitled: “Let Fullness Carry Me”:

          The hour nears, nears closer than the breeze
          That swirls a wrap, delights my senses so:
          A breeze that’s more a breath than subtle air.
          A breath, a kiss delighting in my death.

          Oh, not a death inviting to decay–
          An emptying of all that is not Self.
          A prompt adieu, farewell, and gratitude
          To all my parts, my personalities.

          The time ticks near to set all helpers free
          To ride the breeze, to manage things no more.
          Old fears and hurts no longer captive held.
          My swat team brave in safe retirement.

          To let all go and empty be: call that a miracle.
          Let fullness carry me.
 

Note the conversational tone, the gentle awareness of everyday life, the sensual delight of air, the voluptuousness of knowing and feeling. Duclos takes a deep dive into life itself, “emptying … all that is not Self.” Yes, poetry helps us live our lives as “Old fears and hurts no longer captive held.”

If you have noticed a slight memory decline, (as have I) let “Failing the Memory Test at My Yearly Exam,” supply encouragement. The poet is with you, and no less with me. In “I Take Liberties with Your Words, Sophocles,” Duclos, in simple terms calls forth wisdom from the fifth century (BCE) playwright applying it to contemporary life: “Believe me. / When you / have squandered / your true joy, / you are / as good / as dead.”// For Duclos, poetry is useful where we live.

Duclos’ writing versatility is displayed in the section “After the News.” This subdivision features four triolet poems. Triolets consist of eight lines which scan: ABa/AaB/AB. The poet has received news which cries out for poetic expression. Here is the first entry entitled: “Friday, April 5”:

          Nine purple grapes adorn the dish,
          Ignore the butter and the bread
          As if it matters to the dish.
          Nine purples grapes adorn the dish.
          And all the while I scratch an itch.
          She worries that I’ve lost my head.
          Nine purple grapes adorn the dish.
          Ignore the butter and the bread.
 

I found myself totally engaged with trying to figure out precisely what “news” the poet has received and written about. I challenge my readers to do the same.

I mentioned at the start that Beyond: Selected Poems illustrates the arc of Marcel Duclos’ life. I also noted that the poet is filled with love and that he writes poetry that applies to everyday life. I stand vindicated by two simple poems: “On My Walk,” and “Without”:

          Hear wisdom
          Accept humiliation

          Everything
          a surprise

          Loss
          Misfortune

          Act

          In that
          much rests

          … … …

          Without compassion
          no brave gesture

          Without need
          no generous gift

          Without humble presence
          no competent acts

          Without this trinity
          we are already dead


 


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