Bøker av Garrett Buhl Robinson

"Cycle of sonnets celebrating the fine art of ballet"--

This lighthearted collection of verse pokes fun at artificial intelligence, the delicate tastes of aesthetics, the fine art of poetry and the poet himself - along with other topics of frolicsome fun.

backcoverThis book is a celebration of the fine art of dance.The first and eponymous part of the book - Beauty beyond Reason - is a cycle of lyrics composing the libretto of a ballet chanté that portrays the glorious beauty in the disciplined devotion of the dancers as they relentlessly strive for the mastery and excellence of their art.The second part of the book - Pas Seul - is a collection of eight lyrical poems that span twenty years of the poet's career.The book also illuminates how the art of dance has inspired and guided the poet's own artistic development and endeavors.Foremost, the book illustrates how dancers are the poets in the language of life.

backcoverIn the middle of the night a young man walks to the railroad tracks. From a nearby switchyard he catches hold of a coal train that sweeps him away from his home and from himself. In time he comes to realize that he is not on his own, but that he is a small yet essential portion of a vast continuum. Traveling through the country, he composes letters to his childhood friend.These are his letters of love.These are his letters for life.These are his letters to Zoë.

Pilgrims is an epic poem portraying the dramatic events transpiring between 1620 and 1627 with the settlement of Plymouth Colony. The poem consists of 76 chapters and an epilogue with over 10,000 lines composed in heroic quatrains.From the Opening Notes by the author:Pilgrims was developed and composed during the Covid-19 Pandemic. I drafted and polished the book while sheltering alone in my studio apartment in New York City. I wanted to develop my own poetic portrayal of the events described by the few personal accounts of the settlement of Plymouth Colony in New England.For this, I studied the writing of William Bradford and Edward Winslow primarily. I also gained insight from the letters of John Pory, Emmanuel Altham and Isaack de Rasieres as they are collected in Three Visitors to Early Plymouth. In the poem there is one phrase quoted from Azel Ames and about two dozen scattered phrases quoted from Bradford and Winslow, such as Winslow's phonetic rendering of the Algonquin dialect spoken by the Wampanoags.The dating and sequencing of the events in the poem were provided by William Bradford and Edward Winslow principally. Three Visitors to Early Plymouth also provided more information for some specific dates. The log of the Mayflower published by Azel Ames was also helpful for events through April 5, 1621, which was the Mayflower's departure date from Plymouth Bay in New England. Some dates were also provided by editors of the primary sources such as William Bradford's marriage to Alice Carpenter Southworth in Plymouth on August 14, 1623.Without question, the famous events at Plymouth Colony did happen. For example, there was a first Thanksgiving - although the Pilgrims would not have referred to it as such - which occurred in 1621 and Ousamequin, the Massasoit of the Wampanoags, attended with about 90 Sachems and Pnieses. This harvest festival at Plymouth transpired over 3 days. Edward Winslow gave a personal account of the event in Mourt's Relation. However, the manner by which the event is portrayed and brought to life is the art of the storyteller. Pilgrims is a poem, not a scholarly or historical text. I took liberties in depicting some events where there are few descriptive details in the primary sources. However, mindful of my poetic license, I took care to preserve the accuracy and spirit of this historic story. The story of the Pilgrims at Plymouth is not simply American History, but an important development in the History of Civilization.

Is there any practicality to dreams?Is society not a fabrication of the collective imagination?This poem is a lyrical monologue told by a narcoleptic architect who is not certain if he dreams his work into reality or if his reality is entirely a dream. Through abstractions and absurdity, this poem explores the distinctions between theory and application, personal interest and social obligation, individuality and conformity along with a number of other antipodes swirling with whimsical vision and melodious poetry.The poem is illustrated with 40 images of New York City reflected upon the myriad facets of the 56 Leonard Street building in Manhattan.

Emperor Norton is a 19th Century folk hero legendary for his charisma in the most charismatic city in the world - San Francisco. Prospering as a merchant for years, an ill-timed investment wiped away his fortune. After a short hiatus he re-emerged, penniless yet undefeated, as the self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States. Marching around in his glorious uniform, he dutifully kept the people of San Francisco delightfully amused. Even to this day, his jocund spirit parades around the city in the merry memories of his storied life. Of the many myths and tales of his life, this ballad was mysteriously discovered in a bottle. However, nobody knows whether it was a bottle washed up on the shore or a bottle passed around in a bar. Let us suppose it is more to the lore! In the spirit of Sir John Falstaff, Don Quixote, Ignatius Reilly and all the people who bring joy and merriment into the world, Garrett Buhl Robinson offers 2040 rip-snorting lines of hilarious verse in The Ballad of Emperor Norton.Table of ContentPrologueEmperor Norton''s CommandPart I - Emperor Norton Saves San FranciscoThe Long Arms of Emperor NortonEmperor Norton Saves San FranciscoEmperor Norton''s Theory of GravityPart II - Emperor Norton vs. the Diabolic MachineNorton Invents the Washing MachineParading with the ParrotsTaking a Stand against ExploitationRallying his TroopsThe Siege of the Fortress of OppressionThe Fearsome BattlePart III - The Trial of Emperor NortonEmperor Norton Plays the MarketEmperor Norton in CourtEpilogueEmperor Norton''s Everlasting Day