A little known work (as far as I can tell) to talk about today. I happened to come across a copy of this collection while browsing through used books sales. This is a limited run edition done through Finishing Line Press (it says on the title page that only 500 copies total were printed). Can't say that this will be a lengthy review, as the whole collection is only 30 pages but thought I'd go ahead and write up my overall impressions.
I was drawn to this little book simply because of that title, Chance Of Rain. I can't explain why but rain has always been my favorite kind of weather. I don't love being stuck in a storm getting waterlogged, mind you, but man, there's not many things things that put me more at peace than the image of rain trickling down glass. I love the smell of rain, the sound, rain images, anything that puts it in my mind. Maybe it's the ability to really feel the power of natural elements during a storm, who knows. But yeah, as a reader rain is one of my buzzwords. So I had to see what this one was all about!
All of the poems here reference rain, lack of rain, clouds, or just meteorology in general. The themes also get into how rain makes one feel -- the contemplative, introspective moments those sky tears spark in us, as well as the way it can sometimes trigger feelings of sadness or even loneliness. We've all been there those nights lol. A few of the poems even give shout-outs to hard-working farmers.
Regarding the title poem, "Chance Of Rain", author Robert Brimm says:
It will always be my sentimental favorite because it was my first accepted for publication (1994). That came about because an alert, careful editor at Capper's discovered these lines inside a somewhat longer poem I had submitted. I quickly agreed to her suggestion that we retain those lines and my title... and the rest is history.
While I wasn't deeply moved by any one poem in the collection, I did really enjoy the experience as a whole. I found these quick nuggets of poetry (each fitting on a single page) to be cozy nods to one of nature's beautiful, life-sustaining processes. I'd recommend checking this out if you are especially drawn to nature-themed poetry as I am. :-)
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