Mothman Apologia (Volume 116) (Yale Series of Younger Poets)

This is a short book, structured somewhere between individual poems and short stories. The mothman is a great device because it evokes the particular (Appalachia and West Virginia) with the unknowable and cosmic, which mirrors what the narrator is encountering between an individual relationship in a much broader epidemic.

Mothman Apologia by Robert Wood Lynn is a masterful debut that delves into the complexities of youth, loss, and the opioid epidemic with both wit and tenderness. The narrative poems, set against the backdrop of the Virginias, blend personal and cultural histories, creating a tapestry of stories that resonate deeply. Lynn's innovative use of the Mothman mythos as a lens to explore existential questions adds a unique and compelling dimension to this collection, making it an unforgettable read.

This book of poems contains the best depiction I’ve ever read of being Appalachian.

I don't often leave 5 stars for contemporary poetry but this one is original and well done. Lovely imagery and good extended metaphor for grief and dealing with the oxy epidemic. Highly recommend! Why didn't this win big awards? Oh that is simple: very few good poetry books win awards as it is all bureaucratic and political. Get this book as you won't be sorry!

One of the best Yale Younger Poets collections ever. A must read … slowly and repeatedly

Creative. Surprising. Memorable.

A heartbreakingly beautiful collection of poems about Appalachia, opioid addiction/epidemic, fire, survival, and Mothman (persona poems).from (The Mothman Gets High): "I'll tell you this: / I've never felt further from another than when / standing beside them trying to point out a star."from Voicemail from My Mother: "I didn't see it fly out, / so it's hung in my mind ever since. An unclosed parenthesis. // I've braced myself, the way the ear hears a squeal of brakes / and begs for a thud."from Third of Ten Elegies for Fire and Oxycodone: "still I count it as a win forgive me I'm old enough to know the harm patriotism conceals seen the photos have they used to pledge the flag arms straight out a way we never will again"

This collection is poetry gold, if such a thing exists.I don't know anything about this poet except what I learned from the poems.In other words, lost lifetimes, bottomless seas, terrible and beautiful possibilities...I eat these poems, slowly and deliberately, like Li Po ate rice and mountains. Whew.But of course, I'm cheapening the work with my crazed, blind commentary, so I'll just say:Thank you, RWL. Thank you very much.Carry on, and godspeed!"Milk in the steeping dark" indeed.