The Mojave Road and Other Journeys

Readers can trace Bruce Williams' life through his biographical poems in The Mojave Road and Other Journeys. There are several particularly interesting poems in the anthology, including "Still Small Voice" (pg. 35), "Perspective" (pg. 37), and "Annunciation" (pg. 40).

"Still Small Voice" is written in free verse, with a very conversational tone, and is 34 lines long. Although at first the poem appears to be just an amusing anecdote, by the end of the poem the reader discovers that it is actually about the difficulties and loneliness of illness. "Perspective" is four quatrains long, but does not have a rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. It focuses on how growing up and learning new knowledge can completely change one's perspective. "Annunciation" is broken up into eight stanzas, but like the other poems it does not have a rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. In this poem, the speaker tells the reader about the time when he learned he had cancer and discusses his feelings about it.

All three poems have powerful word choice, imagery, and subject manner. "Still Small Voice" is intriguing because Williams used italics in order to designate dialogue. This usage emphasizes the dialogue, helping the reader to discover the true message of the poem. Imagery such as "small teeth gnawing at his stomach" (line 4) and "plunging short dress" (line 11) allows the reader to visualize the poem very well. "Perspective" is only one sentence long, a factor that makes the poem flow and helps the reader connect the speaker's past and present. Williams uses small, specific pieces of imagery that allow the reader to understand his message without the use of long descriptions or outright statements of the speaker's current feelings. Unlike in "Still Small Voice," in "Annunciation" Williams does not emphasize its dialogue. This makes the scene seem less clear-cut, as if the speaker is still numb and unable to think clearly because of the news the doctor gave him.

Anybody who has dealt with loss, whether loss of innocence or of loved ones, will be able to relate to these poems. "Still Small Voice" deals with the illness of loved ones and the fact that things almost never happen as one expects. These are things that almost everyone can relate to, and make the poem both amusing and poignant. In "Annunciation," the speaker has lost his childhood innocence; although he once admired Kit Carson, he no longer able to do so because he now knows more about both the man and the people that he hurt. Once again, this is a poem that nearly everyone can relate to because everyone is na¯ve and unknowledgeable as a child. Under the guise of a story from Williams' life, "Annunciation" is actually all about the way that one's life can be drastically changed in an instant. Although fortunately most people do not receive terrible news about their health, other drastic changes'"such as the death of one's child or the divorce of one's parents'"can also lead to the hollow numbness that Williams describes.

The imagery and word choice in The Mojave Road and Other Journeys help the reader focus on the subject matter of the poems, which are usually very powerful. Williams' fascination for the desert, his love for Jeeps, his ability to look back on his childhood, and the suffering and loss that he has endured have enabled him to write poetry that will resonate with all types of people. Overall, The Mojave Road and Other Journeys is an excellent anthology.

Williams, Bruce. The Mojave Road and Other Journeys. Huntington Beach, CA: Tebot Bach, 2010. Print.