Peter Schneider (10) (1946–)

Peter Schneider's poems run the gamut from accessible observations of nature and humanity, and even at times the chaos of his mind during meditation, to tangles of words that invite further reflection. It is easy to see Schneider's view of the inner-connectedness of things in these poems, but also a seeming struggle to comprehend or eak out meaning from existence. Doubtless every reader will read a different mirror of personal experiences in Schneider's explorations of Rochester, VT, the views of life in Brooklyn, and the sharp, keenly observed chinks of life in a zoo, a park, or a bedroom. That is what makes these poems so beautiful and universally human.… (mehr)

AN OFFERING OF POETRY

Chicago, Illinois
March 26, 2018
Dear Reader,

So you have found an idle hour and wonder what the current crop of books by American authors has to offer. I have focused on just one of those books, a short book of poetry by Peter Schneider entitled “The Map is Not the Territory”. The title suggests it’s about substance over form. Here are some objective findings:

There are 59 titles of poems on 87 pages of text. Total lines: 1,252. In seeking to be fair and objective in the realm of poetry I was perhaps unorthodox in building an outline on an Excel spreadsheet with columns for subject matter, quotations, and comments. While we’ve all heard the cliché that a poem is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling I’ve found that there is always a plan -- maybe not a good one – but always a plan and a method to convey the feeling.

Regarding subject matter, Mr Schneider is full of variety. While his geopolitical center may be New England the subject matter ranges from ancient Chinese poets and Japanese haiku to outdoor images and searches for meaning. Within themselves the poems demonstrate coherence but do not always end happily or to the reader’s satisfaction. Some are reminiscent of William Carlos Williams:

The little white cracks
In a red notebook cover

from “Markings” at page 56. Some are just darn playful: “Take this metaphor and break it” from “Iterative Sermon” at page 55. As with all poetry, take time to savor it. There is much to savor if you are serious enough to search for it.

Schneider, Peter. The Map is Not the Territory. 2018 Anaphora Literary Press, Quanah, Texas.
ISBN: ISBN 978-1-68114-416-0

Kenneth C. Goetz
Reviewer… (mehr)