Additional Reviews
Additional Reviews
Homo Erectus
Poems by Edward Proffitt
GLB Publishers, pap., $15.95 (Pbk) $25.95 (Casebound)
One of the benefits of having gay and lesbian
owned publishing houses is that books like Homo Erectus are
being published. Such books have little value for a heterosexual readership,
but are the beginning of a newly emerging gay aesthetic. Unlike earlier
generations of openly gay poets who might be labeled counterculture, Edward
Proffitt ponders the unique questions that gay men ask themselves about youth,
aging, relationships, and justice.
At times, Proffitt seems to be constructing a primer
of gay culture. In a poem entitled "Language," he begins by describing the
idiomatic differences between "Heteros" and "fags." When they ask "what do
we do ... who's on top and who's below," Proffitt responds with "love speaks
universally in nasals, labials, and low." He then describes how expertly
gays have become at translating our love into the language of heterosexuality,
since "having learned their dialect from birth .. we ... know well how to
interpret."
Homo Erectus is also not short of political
commentary. Poems like "Home Coming-Out," "Homage to Stonewall," and "Graffiti"
present basic statements about persecution, gay history, and homophobia.
However, it may be the first time such sentiments have been put into verse
with such authority. As Proffitt so boldly notes, "we fags have given more
to culture than our share: we write their songs ... dress their hair ...
as well as entertain ... and on and on."
As "Stars and Stripes and Triangles" points out, gays
haven't even been elevated to equality with other minorities. For example,
Jewish victims have received "compensation" for the holocaust, but "we poofs
remained illegal for some thirty in Germany ... and right here." He ponders
the point of adopting a slogan like "Never Again" unless it applies to "everyone
or none."
This collection also contains cultural critiques of the
gay community. In "Bedfellows," Proffitt describes a group of "silly" gay
men "sitting ... in a coffee shop ... prattling about their hair, their nails
... and who's doing whom." He continues, "I was happy to go home ... alone."
The poem "Behind Closed Doors" contains an equally acrid description of "Olee's
B&B in Vegas," which Proffitt calls "the shrine of Fag Accouterments."
This location acts as a haunt for the "Mormon boys" who "tell their wives
they're on a mission," and "descend as often as they can, if only for a weekend."
Proffitt candidly points out the hypocrisy of these "pillars of the church,"
as they indulge their sexual appetites while avoiding the stigma of coming
out.
Homo Erectus is an opportunity to become
familiar with a poet who will one day be recognized as laying a foundation
for the genre. His work in this collection is most enlightening — a
pleasant surprise.
--- Bron Thorson, XFactor, Phoenix
Book Review
"Homo Erectus"
Don't be fooled by the title here. "Homo Erectus" isn't
a collection of homoerotic or pornographic poems, though homosexual acts
are mentioned. The phrase refers more to the poet's coming out at a late
age, after marriage and two children. Standing fully erect and proud as an
out gay man, Proffitt ie eager to share his late-found self-confidence with
others. His easy to read and entertaining poems are by and large as soulful
as they are insightful.
The main problem is the collection's unevenness. Oddly
enough, the poems he writes for his lover (whose artwork graces the collection)
are rather stilted.: Proffitt tries too hard to write romance. He also misses
the mark with poems about the Stonewall riots and the Vietnam Memorial in
Washington.
But then there are little gems like "Minotaur," the only
poem we know of that describes that monster in his own words: a small stroke
of genius; ironically very human, and quite memorable.
Proffitt grows more lyric in his poems of lost love or
fleeting glances from forty years ago. HIs poems about drag queens are witty.
And always--as always with any gay poet, n'est-ce pas?--poems about beautiful
gay youths bring out the best turns of phrase.
Ah, bit isn't it always so? The past is always more romantic
than the prosaic present, youth easier to rhapsodize than age. We just wish
he'd saved the other poems for another collection.
Proffitt is a skillful, earnest poet who throws in punch
words when you least expect them. Fans of poetry won't be displeased. We
look forward to more of his material in the coming years.
Edward Proffitt, Homo Erectus, Available in local book stores and also in the Williams-Nichols Collection at the University of Louisville.
--- Bronson Majors, THE LETTER, Louisville, KY
Homo Erectus, Edward Proffitt's poetry volume, meticulously
expresses emotional and intellectual perspectives of a gay man and of an
aging man who is gay. These poems are compact and fun to read. Cursory
surface-scratching uncovers deeper levels of enjoyment. Proffitt's poetry
causes smiling, laughing, grimacing, grumbling, teeth grinding -- and even
thinking.
A retired English professor, Proffitt eventually settled
in Palm Springs. Several years ago, he met his mate, artist Bob Fischer.
Fischer figures prominently in Proffitt's volume as illustrator, as subject,
and as the person to whom the volume is dedicated.
I will never fit in.
So why do I continue
Weaving words in webs?
To catch the absent-minded reader
Unawares. There's always hope.
Why should I care? Because,
Like sexual desire,
That's just the way things are.
Excerpt from "Testament" by Edward Proffitt.
--- Pat Evers and Terry Redderson, www.psbottomline.com