When I Was a Fire by Ronnie Ferguson

By Ellen Lord

A group of people walking on a bridge with school buses parked. The image has a title, "When I Was a Fire (part 1 of Selfies)," and an author's name, "Ronnie Ferguson." A child in the foreground has a graphic of a flame over their torso.I met Ronnie Ferguson after a Yooper Poetry reading at the Peter White Library in Marquette, Michigan.  His kindness and his humor were palpable.   I sensed a little ‘darkness’….and knew I had to have his new chapbook.

When I Was a Fire is a powder keg of emotion.   Just eleven poems.  Free verse. Sparse lines. Very little punctuation.  Brilliant use of ‘white space’.   Abrupt twists and turns as the poet navigates a young man’s journey surviving an abusive father.    Gut-wrenching honesty and, so many conflicting emotions.   Themes of rage, redemption and mercy permeate these poems.

The ‘bad boy’ in this work is endearing but I also love how Ferguson portrays girls and women.  I especially like the lines in the first poem ( PEE) where a teacher,  Miss J., slips into an ‘accidental daydream’ while dealing with ruffians in her classroom:

there she was on the couch
in her bra and underwear
a fan blowing back and forth across her
like a little helper
who’d feed her grapes
on command
there she was laughing
like a girl
who’d never endured a period
or an outbreak of zits
there she was
shoveling popcorn into her mouth
a glorious
uninterrupted weekend
of Seinfeld reruns     

No one writes like Ronnie Ferguson.  Intimate, occasionally chilling and a bit outrageous, these poems are profoundly relatable. I recommend When I Was a Fire for anyone who loves good poetry but, as a behavioral health therapist, it would also be an excellent tool to use in group therapy for men.

Ellen Lord, Poet.  ellenlordauthor.com

 

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