Dave Kemper

Around and About Dave Kemper

This collection of poems examines all manner of the author's experiences and interests. His tastes in subjects reflect "maturing sensibilities," but with a poetic twist. For example, he laments the sad fate of dead possums, reflects on his daily pilgrimage to his town's one and only coffee shop, and pays homage to a Civil War soldier "wrapped in a zinc-lined coffin." The poems display warmth, a joie de vivre, and at times a deep social concern. Generally they are conversational and unassuming in style (although a few do have a satirical bite)-poetic in the best sense, speaking to the heart as well as the mind.