Synopsis "May All Beings Rock"
We all rock, overtly or otherwise. This poetry celebrates diverse aspects of our lives, from disconcerting angles: noisy neighbours, awakeness, weird fauna, cycling, thighs, travel, throat-singing, 70s TV and, of course, rock music. Life's transience provides a laugh-out-loud and mischievous springboard for Pettener's eccentric observations: "Winds howl, life's intense; gaps between the gusts / support the thin fact of existence." Using everyday language, this poetry is profoundly accessible. Pettener's deceptively simple soundtrack to life's ups and downs, while clearly meditative, may just provide a key to a world that lives to work, instead of vice-versa: "May all beings rock, may all beings roll; / may all beings bop till they drop the goal." Rolling through the huge space between the established performance scene and traditional UK poetry publishing, this collection rocks!
