More than a collection, the poems return again and again to the twists and curves in the helical shapes of the cell and the galaxy, the microcosmic and the macrocosmic. Biting social comment is relieved by a rich good humor. Each page beats with life.
Real people abound.
Burt Reynolds, a prom queen, wallflower and chaperone, two bluesey songs characterizing a singer, Richard Nixon, and yes, Ed Skellings himself with arch metaphysics and mock self-deprecation. The tones of voice in this book are as varied and as fast-changing as those who populate it. But watch out for the different values and the many faces. In the long concluding title poem, Skellings brings together his earlier ideas about the double helix shape of DNA, arguing that the curves of the chromosome form a model for physical anatomy, the dialectic of intellect, the tension of emotion. Skellings displays his poetic maturity as well as the features of his times.