Neon Vernacular is an argument for Yusef Komunyakaa’s brilliance over an entire career through every cycle. The collection is helpfully broken down into selections from each of Komunyakaa’s previous books arranged in chronological order. Each “book” offers a glimpse at an appealing theme that follows its own process of development. One of the most intriguing parts of this work for me was trying to piece together the thrust of each book from the snapshot provided. This allowed me to enter the work to a certain extent by offering a slumps into Komunyakaa’s development. I get the sense from what I’ve read that there is much to explore and I admittedly felt a little guilty going through the greatest hits without exploring the back catalog.

For me the strongest work came in the Dien Cai Dau (“This Crazy Head”) selections which offer insight into the insightlessness of war. Many authors and artists are too willing to enter a dialogue about war, especially the Vietnam War, with a heavy hand and a strong moral conclusion, though I somehow believe Komunyakaa’s expression of open-ended confusion and meaty mortality is more realistic.

While I hope to go through more of the poems in their original context, I’m happy to report that Komunyakaa is a great singles artist. This is the type of book you hi light great lines in for future reference. For me, the images seem to strike three lines late, so that the poem’s tone funs the path of the language forcing connections in a very clever way. I can’t say how this is done, but as poetry is a very personal experience, it would be most worthwhile for you to pick up a copy and see how the language hits you.

The best part of Komunyakaa’s poetry is that the writing was always in control. At no point did I feel I was reading amateur work as he never seemed to reach outside his grasp without admitting he couldn’t reach what he was after.