Divinia is Divina by Jack Wiler

Jack Wiler’s collection of poetry “Divina is Divina” got me—I mean got my heart and made me cry good hot tears. Poems like “We Monsters,” “My Friend Asked Me to Write About Losing Things,” “Divina Is Divina,” “The Man with the Rotten Teeth,” and “The Truth about Lying” were so moving that I had to put the book down so I could mental and emotionally remain with the poem a little longer.

Jack Wiler provides us with a gift of Catharsis. He tells a story and that story reflects the anxiety, pain, and love that I think the average American encounters daily. The premise of the collection is this: a man who works at Acme Exterminating is dying from AIDS. He writes (what I would call) eulogies for the rodents and cockroaches he kills—but in essence, he is writing eulogies for himself. It’s the magic of Keats in our time. With an acute sense of death, this book is full of life.

I would like to help this book “live” as much as I can. I encourage those of you who love poetry to order a copy of Divina is Divina. Here is a sample from the collection:

I would also ask that if this poem “got you” the way it “got me,” that we all do what we can to shout Divina’s name outside our doors—to post “Divina is Divina” on facebook, blogs, workspace, front doors–wherever posting happens to help celebrate Jack Wiler’s loving observations of life—to celebrate life.