Some Church

Poems

In Some Church, Wyoming Poet Laureate David Romtvedt defines the intersection of a person’s political, social, and spiritual life. Offering vignettes both intimate and expansive in nature, these poems are informed by Romtvedt’s world—both the immediate, rural landscape of his home in Wyoming, and by socio-political forces outside of his control. In a voice that ranges from ambling to pissed-off, Romtvedt captures the essence of the American West in the tradition of Frost, Williams, and Ginsberg.

Romtvedt pulls together the absurd details and grievances of life: a dying neighbor whose tree is occupied by vultures, a daughter who is tear-gassed at a peace rally, the march of pick-up trucks headed for a Bob Dylan show, even a yellow rubber Buddha-with-cell phone figurine—all are fodder for his poetic imagination. Above all, these poems speak to an American consciousness, both at home and abroad, and an arching dedication to personal obligations.