I’ve written here before about my friend Gerald Locklin. Gerry is a poet who somehow made a career in academia while being shunned by it. That fine distinction — being in academia while not being of it — has resulted in a fine poet.  Gerry’s work is insightful and accessible, which practically makes it unique today. This poem, which I’ve printed here before, states the case:

The Iceberg Theory

all the food critics hate iceberg lettuce.
you’d think romaine was descended from
orpheus’s laurel wreath,
you’d think raw spinach had all the nutritional
benefits attributed to it by popeye,
not to mention aesthetic subtleties worthy of
verlaine and debussy.
they’ll even salivate over chopped red cabbage
just to disparage poor old mr. iceberg lettuce.

I guess the problem is
it’s just too common for them.
it doesn’t matter that it tastes good,
has a satisfying crunchy texture,
holds its freshness,
and has crevices for the dressing,
whereas the darker, leafier varieties
are often bitter, gritty, and flat.
it just isn’t different enough, and
it’s too goddamn american.

of course a critic has to criticize:
a critic has to have something to say.
perhaps that’s why literary critics
purport to find interesting
so much contemporary poetry
that just bores the shit out of me.

at any rate, I really enjoy a salad
with plenty of chunky iceberg lettuce,
the more the merrier,
drenched in an italian or roquefort dressing.
and the poems I enjoy are those I don’t have
to pretend that I’m enjoying.

If you like that poem (and I hope you do), here’s some good news:  the online poetry zine Rusty Truck is dedicated this week to the work of Gerald Locklin.  Here’s the announcement, and here’s the first day’s poem.  And here, on the same site, you’ll find an interview where Gerry discusses his friendship with Charles Bukowski, the conflict between “underground” and academic writing, and just how one goes about writing more than 125 published books. Gerry’s work embraces Wallace Stevens’ maxim that a poet looks at the world the way a man looks at a woman. It’s a pleasure reading him, and knowing him.

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