Tony Fusco

JAVA SCRIPTURE (2014) by Tony Fusco inspires laugh-out-loud moments and also contemplative reflection.

Some favorite lines . . .
• Don't sweat the small stuff; nobody makes any money / from poetry anyway
• Heels in her hand, in the fountain / a pretty blond celebrates the freedom of her toes / in the cool water
• Where has the inspiration gone? / Down the river in cement shoes / of heavy metaphor

My eyes were much happier with the style and size of the font in Fusco's book than some poetry books I have recently reviewed. However, the editor in me wanted to correct the extra spaces and the misuse of hyphens (a hyphen and en dash and em dash are different) and a few other typos. It's one of the reasons I don't normally review self-published books, but the poems were too good to pass up the chance to recommend his work.

It's Fusco's poems about his family that produce the most memorable images: "Don't Eat the Last Braciole"; "Nonnie's Candle"; "Pater Famillias"; "Those Who Did Not Know Him, Did Not Judge Him"; "Good to the Last Drop." These poems stayed with me. They'll stay with you, too.… (meer)