“The Blood-red Stain on the Bone-white Cloth”
Scott Wiggerman has achieved a noteworthy reputation as a widely-published poet, editor, and poetry workshop facilitator. Presence, his long-awaited second book-length collection of poems, certainly solidifies his standing as a contemporary poet of seriousness and distinction.
Wiggerman intelligently divides his collection into five sections: Water, Air, Earth, Fire, and Spirit, the Elemental Correspondences historically utilized to represent the forces of nature. Whether he writes in free verse or within the rigors of complex poetic forms, he does so with equal excellence and assured artistry. His sonnets and villanelles are especially brilliant and memorable, rivaling those of the best of his nationally-recognized contemporaries.
There are four major thematic threads which run throughout and seamlessly unify the tapestry of the collection: 1) the gay male’s courageous triumph against the evils of bigotry and discrimination; 2) the inadequacies and shortsightedness of religious orthodoxy; 3) the power and transcendent capabilities of love, both sensual and spiritual; and 4) the indefatigability of a fierce human spirit which celebrates the now and embraces the beautiful mystery at the core of ephemeral human existence. Each theme is subtly and convincingly revealed through Wiggerman’s uncanny mix of humor, refreshing candor, high intelligence, and hard-earned wisdom.
Presence is an ambitious, significant, and memorable collection of poetry. I give it my highest recommendation.
reviewed by Larry D. Thomas, Alpine, Texas
Scott Wiggerman. Presence. San Antonio: Pecan Grove Press, 2011. ISBN 978-1-931247-95-5.