"Trainride Elsewhere" by John Thompson

John Thompson pens his intriguing work entitled Trainride Elsewhere: The Fourth Collection of Misterpoet. Enticing his audience, he pleases the emotional and visceral senses which often evoke pain and pleasure. His poetry is sharp, precise, and, one may say, economically written. The words are carefully chosen to create distinct portraits and images for that one moment in time.

Naturalistic themes, not unfamiliar in Thompson’s work vividly appear throughout in stanzas and haikus. He playfully jots down ideas and thoughts of his surroundings; trees, leaves, willows, and metaphorically he relates them to human beings. Thompson sees the beauty in nature in both man and nature and the Oneness in the world and brings that into his poetry.

His haikus, in particular, are powerful: “razor, dances, / across skin: a red river--/waterfall thin.” Thompson explores human relationships, life encounters, and even tackles tragedies as 9/11 through beautiful poetry. 

Sparking a somewhat new tone is that of unhurried attention to sensuality and motion. The words caress his images leaving his readers remembering his poems long after they have left the page.

A majority of the collection are written in haikus. The rest in poetic form vary a bit context. However, they do not stray from Thompson’s original playfulness with words. His keen desire and observational ability to recognize the connectivity in the world shines through in his poems.