Sometimes I’m a bit harsh. At times, too harsh. Such was the case last week when I said that Brian Turner’s book of poems Here, Bullet was more telling than showing. Since then, I have read through the book twice more and each time I see different nuances of his experience that before I hadn’t noticed. I think this is an attribute of good literature.

There are still things that bother me about them, but I am beginning to understand his method. Turner’s aesthetic, and his war experience, are unique. When I read the simple portrayals of violence he lived through and witnessed I sense that there is as much poetry in what is left out as what is put in. He does tell, in some interesting ways, but does also show in some rather powerful ways what it was like to be a soldier in Iraq in 2003 as things began to fall apart. What amazes me about his poetry is the level of control he has over his emotions as he brings to light the disaster that is Bush’s legacy. But these aren’t political poems. These are war poems in the real sense of the word.

I will be reviewing Here, Bullet more fully in a few days. For now, I’d like to offer this observation: Turner’s poetry is an attempt to show a surreal experience through the crafting of a realist aesthetic, the basis of his uniqueness. Typically, it is the other way around. Poets who deal with the surreal more often attempt to get to heart of the real through an aesthetic of surrealism. I’m not going to say which is better. There are challenges, disappointments, and triumphs with both methods. But I will be reading Here, Bullet one more time before I have anything more to say on it.