Please Don’t Ask by Lyman Ditson is a collection of poetry. There are fifty-one poems in the collection covering a wide range of topics and eliciting emotions of all kinds from the reader. The book opens with the title poem please don’t ask. It sets the tone for this collection, one of sarcasm and dry wit. It makes it clear this is not a book of love poems, or Shakespeare. This is not the book for someone looking for romantic rhyming verses with perfect meter or even following any standard poetic mechanisms. Instead, Ditson uses freeform prose, punctuation and line breaks to convey a deep message in each poem.

Some of the poems are light hearted such as dog nap, a playful take on the frustration of how such a small creature can take up the whole bed when they refuse to move. This is something all animal owners are well aware of. Than there are poems like the general. This piece speaks of war. One of the longer poems in the collection, it goes into great detail talking about the meaninglessness and pain that war causes, that it is not by God’s direction, and not some grand event to run quick into. Instead the author shows the pain, the meaningless loss of life and just the drudgery that is there, not glory.

Ditson has the ability to cover topics well that are mundane and those that are deep. He questions God’s will in many of the poems and those that are devote believers might take offense to some of his tone. Than there are poems such as Dear Brother, that are beautiful and deeply personal. Speaking of the everlasting relationship between brothers that will extend even beyond death. The poem frog heaven gives the reader a look into the world of what might be. It makes the reader stop and think of life in a new perspective, not all things that look bad to start are in the end. The author challenges the reader to think further than the moment and see the whole picture, not just in them, but of the world. Trying to feel truly strikes at the heart of some of todays problems in the world, the inattentiveness we have for those around us as we divulge deeper and deeper into the electronic world. The collection ends with several poems dealing with the end of things, death, end of a season of life, and a message that we are all smaller than we think we are in this world.

Over all Lyman Ditson’s collection of poetry is a good read. It brings forth an emotional response from the reader, as all good poetry should. I enjoyed the lack of whimsical prose and the more sarcastic realist views. The collection brings you face to face with many of the modern issues we are living with right now. It does not shy away from the topics that people do not want to think about. Thought provoking and meaningful poetry, a collection that can bring the reader in and leave them thinking about the subjects well after the cover is closed.

Pages: 140 | ISBN: 1504350324