From Now to The End of Time by Brian T. Sluga

A kaleidoscopic existence blooms to life on the pages of poet Brian Sluga’s new collection From Now to the End of Time. Self-described as stories, these widely varied poems create an eclectic dreamscape, blending recollections of youth with glimpses of romance and mythology, half-remembered nights out and elusive descriptions of emotion.

Moments of ecstasy are woven through self-reflection and painful losses, offering an unfiltered view of life through an honest, straightforward lens. “Virtue in My Heart” begins How do I always pour my heart out / then it gets trampled / a lingering feeling / on my journey. This sort of frank prose in verse form characterizes much of the poetry, with universal questions and emotions expressed with spare imagery.

When creating such an expansive collection touching on so many different subjects, a greater level of organization could be helpful, if only to strengthen and deepen the mood of certain poems; more fantastical or abstract pieces could be distanced from pieces with less imagery and more narration. While there are different chapters with assigned themes, some of the poems still feel out of place. Additionally, with such a rich pool of stories, and a clear leaning towards prose, it is somewhat curious why some of Sluga’s clearly narrative ideas aren’t written as traditional stories or essays, where he could expand more deeply on the subject.

An honest and wide-ranging collection, From Now to The End of Time is filled with gentle musing and longing, the product of an everyman poet with sensitive, wide-open eyes.