Thrift Store Metamorphosis
by Tony Robles
Redhawk Publications
$15.00
You can purchase a copy here.
Reviewed by Katch Campbell
This is my final review for 2023. It has been an honor and delight to read, interview, and write reviews for the Madd Poet Society of Philadelphia this year. Thank you for taking the time to read my words. I hope they have inspired you to read poetry or write a line of your own.
“the word or sign which man uses is the man himself...my language is the sum total of myself…”
Charles Sanders Peirce, a thought leader in cognitive semiotics postulates that all reality is based in a thought reaction to an object. Simplified, there are three components to this process. The object, the emotive thought, and the interpretation of the emotive thought triggered by the object. Before reading this collection take a moment to ponder the following questions. If objects are signs that suffuse the universe, what is there left that is not a sign? What is there to say of the observer or interpreter of the sign? And how does the interpretation of said object/sign impact history?
In a world that seems to have no limits on detailing the horrific, Tony Robles’ new collection Thrift Store Metamorphosis displays exceptional restraint even if detailing the tragedies of everyday life. It is rare to find solace inside stories linked to suffering, but Robles wraps them in solace, humor, and transformation. The work Robles has done through interpretation of these objects and created art is healing for self and for reader.
Robles provides a context for the extensive subject matter with a forward about his life, how it led him to the hills of Hendersonville, North Carolina, and how the objects around us may trigger memories. The book contains 42 lined poems. Each poem tells a complex story simply through the utilization of clear imagery, and straightforward language. The sensory is evoked in most poems.
Mopping the Thrift Store
Get a whiff of
what's inside the
thrift store
musty pages of old
almanacs
old shoes carrying
the fragrance of cadences
carried out on city streets,
country trails, shopping malls,
gas and brake pedals and
perhaps other planets
the smell of meals gone by
in crock pots that have landed
on the shelves among a never
ending array of kitchen gadgetry
take a deep breath
and maybe you'll smell the
scent of an old pea coat
There is suffering, humor, and self-reflection. Some offer internal dialogue and others take the reader through the aisles, up to the register, and back out into the world.
It is difficult to choose one poem to discuss with this collection as I enjoyed each one for where it took me and what it taught me about how I see life, how I interpret objects, and where my interpretations leave me.
Assumptions
The man walked into the
thrift store the other day
his countenance I
immediately discounted
To my perception, he was
likely one of those ignorant
folks, the kind that would have
a confederate flag license plate
it was something in his
demeanor that
soured me
he came to the register
where I work as a
cashier
he put down a pair
of socks and a package
of underwear
He reached into
his wallet
hands trembling
and I remembered
working at an insurance
company years ago…
If, as Charles Sanders Peirce postulates the self is manifested in an individual’s interpretation of objects through thoughts generated by bodily feelings or actions, then it is possible we are not as free thinkers as we hope to be, but are instead impacted by the unconstrained forces of society. While Thrift Store Metamorphosis is a book full of humanity and what humans do to themselves and others it is grounded in generosity, compassion, and self-reflection. This is a transformative and necessary read for those of us who are considering the essential questions of our time and who want to embody equity, peace, and inclusion as answers.
May 2024 be a year full of poetry.
Katch Campbell is a connector. With a master’s degree in Science and an MFA in poetry, she creates metaphors for her patients and others about the world around us. Her work is an inquiry on the atrocities we commit consciously and unconsciously against each other and the universe. Katch serves as Vice President and is a permanent faculty member at the River Pretty Writing Retreat, a bi-annual workshop in the Ozarks. She has co-led immersive poetry trips to Slovenia and Italy and used to edit for ZoMag.com.