Play Book Tag discussion

This book is exactly as the title implies. An epic poem spanning the entirety of the Lewis and Clark expedition, including the preparation.

I found this odd little book in my parent’s garage and decided to give it a shot. I wasn’t really expecting too much from it, as it was clearly a limited run for the centennial, and not put through the scrutiny of a major publisher. Not to mention, it was clearly going to be romanticized and settler-centric, but I’m always intrigued by the challenge of epic poetry, so I gave it a shot.

Despite my one star, it actually is quite clever in a lot of ways, but there is a fatal flaw that I absolutely cannot forgive.

The author attempts to keep an ABAB rhyming scheme throughout the book, but readily abandons it whenever it didn’t fit with what he was trying to say in that particular verse. I think it’s even more egregious because there were a number of times when I could immediately think of a way he could have kept the rhyming scheme and gotten the point across, and I’m not a poet.

Still, it was a valiant attempt and I admire the effort that went into it.

It was a bit of fun, a bit of silliness. Easy to read for the most part, and clearly, he did his research. The author even managed to include a verse about Dr. Rush’s bilious pills (metal laxatives which were taken on the trip) which quite impressed me. However, I just can’t finish a poem that switches from ABAB to free verse at will.

It may have been advisable for him to go with free verse from the start, or learn to let go of a verse that wasn’t working for his format. It could have been delightful if only it had an editor.

My kingdom for an editor.