Review: Perfectly Round Ripples (Made by a Jagged Stone) by J. Flaherty

In the first, eponymous selection in the engaging collection, Perfectly Round Ripples, poet Johnny Flaherty recalls throwing three objects into a pond—a golf ball, a jagged stone, and “an old sneaker with laces missing.” They all splashed differently, but then, each one

…made perfectly round ripples

that traveled all the way

to the farthest shores

From this Flaherty suggests that our deeds, whether good or bad, will likewise make equal, round ripples in the cosmic sea – a motif reflecting the serene and emotive nature of these poems. He often returns to water, to the sea, for inspiration, as in “Veneration of Neptune” lauding the laws of ocean travel and wishing “we could be so wise onshore.” “The Godly Power of Vengeance (musings on Melville’s gospel)” recreates the secret obsession of Ahab, so intent on conquest of the white whale that he sacrifices ship and crew, except for one “lone whaler.”

The light but profound touch of the poet’s imagery is seen throughout these works, whether they be haiku, free verse, story scenarios couched in poetic phrase, or rhyming verse – an eclectic collection of form, but with unifying imagery and feeling.

An example his use of rhyme is “Just Another Day,” in which the “also-ran” dodges the obstacles when things get bad – a poem that shows Flaherty’s deftness with mixing a plaintive voice with levity:

As the front-runners get sprayed

While the stragglers still play

On their beat-up banjos

Like it was just another day.

For the most part, Flaherty uses haiku for humanity and humor, making it seem easy, while infusing these short bits with deep feeling and even philosophy:

Sideswiped a parked car

Running late, no witnesses

– prized guest of honor

Thanksgiving dinner

Twelve smiles around the table

– hope for humans yet.

Flaherty lives on a hill near the sea and one suspects he often looks out toward the Ireland of his forebears. This collection contains several vignettes of Ireland, indicating that Flaherty knows the Auld Sod intimately. One of the shining examples of Irish ambience concerns a cute infant in a pub, surrounded by the music, tall tales, and blissful imbibers, and not even bothering to smile. The infant “astutely” ascertains that:

in the realm of the pub

his smiles aren’t the only thing

to set the big folks aflutter

Perhaps the best of Flaherty’s Ireland musings, in a collection in which it’s rather daunting to select any “bests” since so many works vie for the honor, is “This Mystic Mountain” in which the missionary Patrick embarks on a journey that will lead him to change his tactic, which had been to “convert the Pagan peasants / into righteous stalwart Christians.” After meditating on a misty mountain in Mayo, he feels connection with the Celtic gods and faerie realms and descends, wearing a shamrock charm, “preaching his blended gospel.”

Flaherty’s own shamrock charm imbues his poems with a cheery glow, a love of nature, and a twist of satire as he observes himself and his fellow humans battling with, as he so aptly names it, their “Hyde side.” Put together, Perfectly Round Ripples is a striking, original, and affecting collection of poetry that will appeal to a broad array of readers of poetry, given their variety, but more importantly, the strength of each delicately constructed piece.