Songs from a Cave and Other Selected Poems

About the Book

Synopsis of Songs . . .

Songs, etc. is based on Olson’s first trip to Montenegro to see his spouse, Jean’s family. Impressions contains, “Kindly Close Tightly,” words written on the refrigerator door at Mepkin Abbey where, “I looked off into the distance where . . . monks sat masticating.” The Head and the Heart’s number one poem is, “Clog Dancing in Hell” and you are dared by Jean to get into the last verse. “I Never Said Thanks to my Stepdad” says volumes about “maple breath.” Curious? Alas, No Yorick He! came into being as a result of going to my father, Ernest’s grave. Cycling Through was influenced by bicycling tours. “Pretending to be a Stick” came from bird watching on the wetlands. Spectrum of the Sea starts out with “HANG DOWN” which rimes. It has been said that, “If it doesn’t rime, it’s not poetry.” Also, Jean Translated: “boy” and “bird sickness” by Igor Vecerina. PAPA’S TREKS is filled with “short shorts.”See, “Authenticity.” There’s a lot about bicycling in Self-Portrait, too. “For Jean, A New Albion” was written in Bolinas on Drake’s Bay. “Smokin’ Stogies for Irma” is a touching story of the author’s select memories of his mother. It’s recommended. One of the poems in Tiger Tales is, “Rush! Die!” which is about The Satanic Verses and “Summer Vacation” reflects the first and last time Gerald ever saw his father. “1-800-I’m Alone” in Polar Bear 46, is unique. The lead poem in Duck Eggs is “Halloween Betrayal.” Rotten duck’s eggs and dirty ticks are featured. See “Apparition Haunted Landscapes” in Behemoth’s Breath for solid surrealism. “Choppers Chop Chop” above LA riots in Dragon Fire where Olson was an eye witness as he was at Berkeley when general “Nurre Lost His Star.”

About the Author

Olson and his wife, Jean who translates poetry plus other works from Serbian and Croatian, live in Huntington Beach, California. He retired from public education in 1993 at the Los Angeles County Office of Education where as an educational consultant he had the opportunity to write, edit and publish articles, journals and papers pertaining to counseling, career guidance and educational program evaluation.  After retirement Olson honed his skills as a writer and poet in Jack Grapes’ Los Angeles Poets and Writers Collective workshops.