G.O. Clark ‘Scenes Along the Zombie Highway’ Review

Written by: Drake Morgan

Poetry is a dying art. This is a dramatic statement, but as a fan of Byron, Keats, Wordsworth, Dickinson, and the countless other poets of the past, I cannot, for the most part, find that same essence in modern poetry. What essence you ask? That intangible emotive quality that makes you see beyond the words. G.O. Clark’s latest release, Scenes Along the Zombie Highway is, in my opinion, a model for modern poetry and its failures.

These are poems about zombies. There is little else to say about these poems because there is little else in these poems. “Eating your greasy-spoon fare/ you wonder if you should start up a conversation with him” sums up the depth here. We learn the zombies are sluggish under a new moon. They sing Christmas carols. They are clowns and ventriloquists. Each poem is nothing more than a description of zombies in some form or another. Haven’t films and novels covered this better elsewhere?

Should you start up a conversation with G.O. Clark’s work? No. If you want a zombie fix, there are some great novels out there. If you want dark poetry, I can recommend a few fantastic modern collections. This work is neither good zombie fare nor is it good poetry.

You can order Scenes Along the Zombie Highway right here.

Rating: 2/5