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Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man

Harry E. Gilleland, Jr.
Lulu.com (2008)
ISBN 9781435712423
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (5/08)

“Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man” is Harry E. Gilleland, Jr.’s third published poetry collection.  Gilleland is a 63-year-old resident of Shreveport, Louisiana.  For almost thirty years he taught microbiology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, retiring in 2004.  He now enjoys writing full-time.

The book is made up of four sections:  Rhyming Poems and Storoems (Story-Poems), Two Limericks, Acrostic Poems, and Free-Verse Poems.  His collection of eighty-one poems covers the full gamut of topics ranging from “Halloween” to “Darfur 2007.”

I have to admit when I first saw the cover of the book I wasn’t too intrigued.  However, the old adage holds true to not judge a book by its cover.  Once I started reading the book I was hooked.  Gilleland’s writing is very readable and thought-provoking.  I think one of my favorite poems in the book was the very first one.  It is entitled “Let Her Be a Weed” and it is about a father and mother watching their little girl picking flowers out in their yard.  The father surmises that one day she will be a flower, but the mother says that instead of a flower she will be a weed. Among other things, “weeds are tough and sturdy.  They meet all life’s challenges head-on.”  In contrast, flowers are weak and “need constant care, lacking power.”  As a mother I can definitely relate to this poem.

The tone of some of the poems and storoems included in the book is rather sad.  I am an animal lover and two of the more heart-wrenching storoems to me were about the author’s dogs and were entitled, “My Old Friend Rusty” which deals with watching his dog age and “Putting Pepper Down” which deals with having to put a pet to sleep.    

There really is no particular order to the writings in the book.  The one selection you are reading could be humorous and then the next one could be about a more serious subject such as “The City of New Orleans-2005.”  I kind of enjoyed this because you never knew what was going to be coming next.  “Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man” definitely has something for everyone and, if you enjoy stimulating writing, then I highly recommend this collection!

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