Reflections in a Boomer Eye Poems and Musings edition by ML VanBlaricum Literature Fiction eBooks
Download As PDF : Reflections in a Boomer Eye Poems and Musings edition by ML VanBlaricum Literature Fiction eBooks 
After a multi-faceted career, M.L. (Mike) VanBlaricum has turned his attention to writing poetry and musing on his life as a Baby Boomer. The author is a prototypical Boomer. He was born in 1950 and went off to college to study engineering in the explosive year of 1968. He grew up in small towns in Illinois where he developed a fascination with science, the trombone, nature, and girls. This collection of poems, essays, and musings includes memories and reflections of being a free-range child in the Fifties, a restrained teenager in the Sixties, a college student in the Seventies, and a rambunctious retiree in the Tens.
VanBlaricum’s accessible writings are laced with wry humor, musical references, and surprise endings. The subject matter ranges from lost loves, the importance of puppy love to the wonderment of real love, what it means to be a Baby Boomer, teenage angst, ruminations on kite-flying and teeter-totters, a fascination with clouds, toads, and moons, and observations and sideways ponderings on natural phenomena. The internal dialogue between engineer and poet bookends this collection.
Reflections in a Boomer Eye Poems and Musings edition by ML VanBlaricum Literature Fiction eBooks
Fascinating book. I read it in one sitting. Being a Boomer from the Midwest myself, I could relate to practically everything in the book. Who would think an engineer could be so interesting?Product details
|
Tags : Reflections in a Boomer's Eye: Poems and Musings - Kindle edition by M.L. VanBlaricum. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Reflections in a Boomer's Eye: Poems and Musings.,ebook,M.L. VanBlaricum,Reflections in a Boomer's Eye: Poems and Musings,Snap Brim Press,POETRY General,HUMOR Form Limericks & Verse
People also read other books :
- The SHTF Stockpile What you need on hand before it hits the fan edition by Bill Hoyt Politics Social Sciences eBooks
- The Negro W EB DuBois 9781466213265 Books
- Don't Ask Forever My Love Affair With Elvis eBook Joyce Bova William Conrad Nowels
- Precalculus Cynthia Y Young 9789810235079 Books
- Holiday Bound edition by Beth Kery Literature Fiction eBooks
Reflections in a Boomer Eye Poems and Musings edition by ML VanBlaricum Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
From the Baby Boomer years to music and love, this marvelous collection touches the mind, the heart, and the soul. VanBlaricum writes lyrically sometimes, other times muscularly, depending on the poem. I love the honesty of his work and the way he can upend an ordinary situation and show us a fresher, more enlightening view. I particularly enjoyed "Rorschach Test," "Never to Know for Sure," and "September 1968." Wonderful!
Baby boomers have long dominated American society by virtue of their sheer numbers. Boomer literature is predominantly of the 'sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll' genre or the 'anti-war political activist' genre, often both at the same time. This collection of poetry/musings is of an altogether different sort that experienced by a small-town Midwestern upbringing in which the turbulent world at large was a faint backdrop to a daily life that more resembled Mayberry, RFD. It is so refreshing to read the reminiscences of someone who grew up as a wide-eyed innocent of the 50's, untouched by the maelstrom of the 60's, and now looks back upon those departed times with fondness. This collection is well worth a spot on your bookshelf.
van Blaricum reminds us of the the importance of A (art) in our STEAM education with this lovely book of poems reflecting on his life which happens to be the life of an engineer. I particularly like the opening and closing internal dialogs which call to mind some of the dialectic meanderings of Douglas Hofstadter. I highly recommend this book for the thoughtful engineer or for those trying to understand the thoughtful engineer in their lives.
Once in awhile we discover some hidden gem as we poke around books that catch our eye. The intriguing title of this small book compelled me to pick it up to thumb through it. Some time later I had sampled it all--and enjoyed it all. I'm a bit older than a Boomer but I have known lots of Boomers and I understand them for the most part. So, whether you are a Boomer, a millennial or whoever you may be, you'll find things in this collection that will resonate with you.
"I Never Stole a Watermelon" touched me in particular because it reflected my growing up a few years shy of being a real Boomer. Our generation didn't do crazy things if we wanted to fit in with our society. Being safe, a "good boy", a "good student", a "son who never rocked the boat" was the ideal. How much we missed as I look back!
This title grabbed my attention and oh, how I related! You'll find things in so many of the pieces here that will relate to your life. Mr. VanBlaricum has tasted life; he'll tempt you to reflect and relate and taste yours, too!
An added perquisite for me finding this collection is that it has been helpful in teaching writing in my college classes. "Icicles", "Epistle", "Once" and several more are rich examples of literary imagery and reflective writing. I always look for good examples that I can use to enhance my teaching. This one illustrates writing skills so well. Yep, engineers can write poetry, too!
I love the great poets (or most of them). It was once a great profession, now so often co-opted by lyricists and rappers. Years ago, there were many articles on the Cowboy poets, and the joy was reading the passion of men known for their quiet masculinity. M. L. VanBlaricum may be introducing a new genre Engineer poets. If Apple put poetry into technology, had designers' signatures stamped on the original interior mold for the Mac, then it is long past the time for the engineers who have so transformed this world in our lifetimes to use the same elements of simplicity and efficiency in words that can move us. M. L. VanBlaricum accomplishes this task. You can hear the Spock-Kirk battle in his lines, logic versus passion with no winner but synthesis.
My favorite poem may be September 1968 about the joys of going off to college, of the freedom, the endless opportunity to try new things, sample life outside the cocoon, and the chilling truth embodied in the last line.
The title, a strange play on the twisted Carson McCullers novel of repressed homosexuality, voyuerism and mental illness might lead one to believe that there are deep, dark secrets to be revealed. In this age of voyeurism, it is refreshing to read poems that capture the joys and struggles of marriage, family, memory and one's sense of place in the world that one has helped create but has had little time to assess. "If you are not five minutes early, you are late," VanBlaricum tells us his father taught him. It is up to us to judge the wisdom of that, but it is wisdom we should all consider.
As we travel life's highway, it is remarkable what seems important to us near the end of the adventure.
The author is candid, witty, and observant. This is all entertaining stuff. Some of the poems might even make good song lyrics!
Fascinating book. I read it in one sitting. Being a Boomer from the Midwest myself, I could relate to practically everything in the book. Who would think an engineer could be so interesting?
0 Response to "[1UY]≡ Read Reflections in a Boomer Eye Poems and Musings edition by ML VanBlaricum Literature Fiction eBooks"
Post a Comment