{"product_id":"raylene-and-skip-kenneth-pobo-9781950066209","title":"Raylene and Skip: Poems","description":"\u003cp\u003eThese poems build an affecting picture of working-class life in small-town America. Raylene and Skip live (and often feel stuck) in a town called Micah. Their lives have eroded over decades of marriage, but they have a bit of fight left in them. In poems that make clever use of direct and reported speech, we learn their secrets, flaws, and grudges. Pobo is a master of ironic twists and turns. In memorable metaphorical language, we get surprising glimpses into people's souls. Fathers are \"men like cordoned-off hallways.\" After a violent argument over something trivial, \"Skip becomes a saw \/ sawing the same wood block over and over,\" and Raylene is \"an ice cube \/ melting at the bottom of an iced-tea glass.\" Frequently and with ease, Pobo sees into the depths of America's scam culture. Characterizing Raylene's knowledge of Skip's extramarital affairs, Pobo writes, \"The plumbing \/ needs fixing--no one's trustworthy. \/ Someone will cheat you \/ the way you cheat others.\" Robert Cooperman's assessment of an earlier Pobo volume applies here as well: \"This is a marvelous collection, one to savor with lines that are beautiful and true and just terrific poetry.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Kenneth Pobo\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1950066207\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781950066209\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Wolfson Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/02\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 54\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.22lbs","brand":"Kenneth Pobo","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48801354580223,"sku":"9781950066209","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/raylene-and-skip-kenneth-pobo-9781950066209","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}