Review: TOMORROW IT WILL ALL RUN BACKWARDS - Michael Brett

I own both a paperback edition and a kindle edition of Michael Brett's book of poems, Tomorrow It Will All Run Backwards - Modern War Poetry. It is not often that I purchase a second copy of a book I already own to put on my kindle, but I liked this collection of poems so much, I wanted easy access when I travel.

The book's subtitle, "Modern War Poetry," is at least in part deceiving. Throughout the book, Brett weaves a spell that includes not only the horrors of war, but also everyday scenes, and moments that span history and continents. This collection transcends easy categorization, but is also profoundly moving, imaginative, and thought-provoking, filled with tricks of wordplay that seem simple on the surface but release their energy and insights like depth charges.

The book is divided into three sections:
1. Easdale Island By Oban, Argyll, Scotland 1974-80
2. The Information Centre of Bosnia-Herzegovina, London 1990-5
3. London 2000-2015

The collection includes poems also published on the US Library of Congress website of 9-11 poems.

It is a dazzling, kaleidoscopic collection.

Brett's voice is unique; readers in the US unfamiliar with his work will find that it compares very favorably with the work of poets such as Vietnam veterans Bruce Weigl (What Saves Us), or Ed Micus (The Infirmary), both of which were award-winning in the US.

Emily Dickinson:
“If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry."

William Stafford:  
"A poem is a serious joke, a truth that has learned jujitsu."

These words apply to Michael Brett's remarkable, multi-award-winning collection.

If you love poetry, "Tomorrow It Will All Run Backwards" offers much to love. If you don't already own a copy (or two), I highly recommend it.

For a longer 2018 review by Randy Brown of Michael Brett's book, see this link:[1]

[1] https://thestrategybridge.org/the-bridge/2018/2/12/reviewing-tomorrow-it-will-all-run-backwards

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