Janine Pickett Reviews: "Poison in Paradise" by Scott Thomas Outlar

                             

                           Poison in Paradise

by Scott Thomas Outlar

Published by Alien Buddha Press

Available on Amazon

Poison in Paradise by Scott Thomas Outlar is a brilliant literary journey through thought and perception, the real and the imagined, the intellect and the soul.  The cover art is beautiful, and the book is well-crafted. Divided into two parts and containing a whopping 67 poems plus photography and art, it is a triumphant work written in an honest voice that reads as large as a novel!

In the first part, Hubris Fallen, many of the poems take on a sense of the "tragedy" that has formed our fallen world, and our interaction and complacency to it. Poems such as "The Way It Is", "Seven by Seven", and this:

For Your Own Good

What do you expect me to say?/That everything/is peaches and cream?/./The world is on fire./I'm preparing you/for the ashes/and what comes after.

So, what does come after? Seeking. Source found. In the second part of the book, Redemptive Heights, the poems take on a softer, well, more redemptive tone. Poems such as "Softly in the Garden", my personal favorite, "Expansive Salvation" and this:

Slate

Wipe me clean/without Clorox or bleach/just simple honesty/Sanitation is next to salvation/in some circles/Sacred vowels/squeak/ooh and ah/before sighing/Little spaces in the corner/dusted off/brought to surface/made to shine/Lord, help me find/the right words/ to tithe/All I have/left to offer/are my dreams

Outlar doesn't beat around the bush. He writes boldly, he paints pictures with words, he holds up mirrors and he touches nerves. He knows exactly how to portray the poison, the power, and the inherent beauty found inside us all.

It's a great read!


About the Author:

Scott Thomas Outlar hosts the site 17Numa.wordpress.com where links to his published poetry, fiction, essays, interviews, reviews, and previous books can be found. His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net, and has appeared in hundreds of literary venues around the world. His poetry has been translated into Afrikaans, Albanian, Persian, and Italian.