A bold, memorable, and capacious collection…
In his gorgeously visceral third volume in Bar Poems, the award-winning McNair explores love, life, death, hope, and self-loathing. “Grateful, Dead” examines the inevitable nature of death whereas “Roaches” and “This Will Not Go Over Well” explore an alcoholic’s downward spiral into self-destruction. There is chaotic beauty throughout, particularly in McNair’s physical descriptions of how the human consciousness becomes oblivious to its surroundings while under influence. The effect is quietly exhilarating. Some of the poems in the collection are more overtly personal as McNair reflects on his home life. By turn mournful and uplifting, the poems bring out each image, character, question, paradox, and philosophical musings about life, love, and death fully alive. Despair and hope intertwine often, and McNair displays both insight and deep understanding of the human psyche (“Hey, Stupid,” What Is Life But Sidetracking”). Deep and touching, the collection will make readers want to visit McNair’s other work.
Last Call
Bar Poems Volume 3
By Randall McNair
Bits of Steak Press
Pub date July 4, 2021
ISBN 9781735108094
Author’s Twitter @McNairPoet
