Charlie Baylis’ chapbook swimming – bathed in baby blue – backstrokes across ripples of keeping afloat in its pool of romantic and other variables. The sweet hue is in the beauty of its cover as well as soothing moments of lyrical reflection. In essence, this is a bittersweet play on the seriousness of romance, intent and frustration, poetry, and how language oscillates within and beyond this universe.

An obvious account of such vicissitude in romance occurs early in the title poem, when

which then moves certainly/realistically to this on the very next page

Surface but also pleasing playfulness is shown in lines like

and

where pararhyme and rhyme remind it isn’t just a poetic convention when given fresh gaming like this.

I write this review the day after Remembrance Day [but posted now] and such a context perpetrates further dances with intention and meaning

an explosion of unresolved hope and outcome.

If I can find lyricism in a writer’s work I will because this is a personally welcome poetic door to the sweetspot of language, opened [when clever, and Baylis is] in unexpected places

At this poem’s close, the ‘sham’ within our lyrical moments might be inherently as well as declaratively forgiven

In the second poem divers, there is more uncertainty conveyed because it is being conveyed again. This is presented in writing that is more than playful, though it still is, and reveals – as we have clearly seen – that within lyricism there will always be interruption. Ending on one page [I think really just the result of sequential placing on pages], the following ava in moves onto the next as

I love the sound of this as much as I do its surprise and its confirmation.

As with so many of the wonderful Red Ceilings Press chapbooks, this is a quick read – impact and reflection transcending – so were I to write about and quote more I would be spoiling. So I won’t.

To purchase, go here.