When I saw a video of Phil Kaye reading his poem "Camaro" from his book Date & Time, I knew I had to immediately buy the book. A week later, the book finally arrived and I devoured it in a matter of hours. Since then, I've read the book six or seven times, it's just that good.
The poems in Date & Time are smart and moving. I particularly enjoy the poems where he experiments with different speakers. In "The Author & The Author at 7 Years Old Choose a Movie to Watch," Kaye has a conversation with his younger self and reveals quite a lot about his past. It explores his parents' divorce, but the narrative choice makes a heavy theme lighter and funny.
I also enjoyed the poems in which he explores the difficulties of dating. In "Succulent" he dives into how distance can kill a budding relationship, which I think a lot of people can relate to. I like he focuses on a mundane object to make a bigger statement about something we all go through.
I will say, though, that there is something missing when reading these poems. I fell in love with Kaye's ability to entrance me with his words. There's something left to be desired without him speaking the poetry. Though I do recommend you read this book, I think you also need to watch his videos on Youtube.
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