Back Alley Poems is a collection of street level poetry: simple, direct, made for everyday people. They are written in a lean, concise and down to earth fashion. The powers of the poet as observer are shown on full display in this book.As the title suggests, these are poems about the less readily apparent. The poet takes the light and shines it on the back alleys of contemporary America. The poems emerge from the dark corners, the less-explored places. This new work is deeper, more thoughtful than past books, with more of an emphasis on praise poems and spirituality. As in Greenley’s past books, there are plenty of travel poems, often right after some anti-government poems. The poet likes to use travel poems to counter critics who say he hates the country. Even though there’s a new feel to this book, Greenley maintains his usual emphasis on working people and the conditions they live through, with poems full of strange characters and cogent observations. And the poetry still has a political consciousness of past books -just more refined. Some are playful satire, such as The McDali Lama, and Three Stooges vs. PC. Others are genuine, powerful protest against wrongs that have gone on too long, like the HMO Poem, or Free Thought. Both veins show the poet’s clear understanding of the times he lives in. Taken all together, they’re a spot-on cross-section of America in the turbulent 20-teens. Striking illustrations by Angela Mark highlight the emotions expressed in all of the poems. The last section of the book is comprised of flash fiction (stories 1000 words or less). These are memories from the author’s young manhood crystallized into quick, revealing bursts of fiction. That actually mean something. They examine social, race and class divisions, pecking order and facing up to these realities.The book opens new doors with its wide range, rich imagery, and straightforward language. These poems, paired with the rapid fire, meaningful stories make this a literary combination not to be missed.
