Louis Jenkins Blog Post

What I really love about his poetry is he tells stories with it, sort of like a short story or short-short epic poem.  Taking that into account, he uses either first or second person perspective to draw the reader in.  In his poem "The Speaker," he uses the phrase "Can you tell me the color of your sweetheart's eyes? Do you remember where you parked the car?" This phrase especially drew me in because it was addressing me personally, as if he was speaking to me.  He asks me a question related to the poem, but close to the reader as well that hits the reader home on something of importance to them, drawing the reader in even further.  Many of his themes deal with big ideas such as change, love, science, etc.  His poem 'The State of the Economy" really highlights the 2008 Stock Market Crash (I'm assuming this is what it's about.)  Jenkins writes "There might be some change on top of the dresser at the back, and we should check the washer and the dryer. Check under the floor mats of the car. The couch cushions. I have some books and CDs I could sell, and there are a couple big bags of aluminum cans in the basement, only trouble is that there isn't enough gas in the car to get around the block."  Though it may seem third person, it really speaks to the reader in a sense of a first and second person speaker tone because Jenkins is telling the reader to do these things.  His simple use of objects and actions give a realistic view of imagery.  It's simple, but not overpowering so much that it seems surrealistic.  It seems like something either out of a movie or a book, something very lifelike and that is what I love about his poetry.