The Stupefying Flashbulbs

If one has grown tired of the ambition, naked, shorn, and bleating, on display in many recent first books of poetry, then one will welcome the concussive impact of Daniel Brenner’s The Stupefying Flashbulbs . These are short, impulsive, occasion-stained lyrics, by turns insouciant and pregnable. Their pretensions are few, their presumptions, endearing. Thematic concerns include severity, inconclusiveness, and artistry. An evil cube makes repeat appearances. We will all laugh last.