Old Temples in Moonlight by R. W. Haynes

Old Temples in Moonlight, by R.W. Haynes, is a fascinating book of poetry. I haven’t had a chance to read a lot of poetry recently due to health issues but when I picked this up to read I couldn’t put it down. It comforted me through blood transfusions and I personally enjoyed the blend of modern poetic structures and the intermesh of Classical Greek themes: these are almost Joycean in thematic structure, and it is always fascinating to read that kind of interplay.

 

The poem “Song on Grand Avenue” reminded me of one of Picard’s speeches as well as Beckett.

 

“Tell me,” began a lady of the street,

 

How can you tell victory from defeat?”

 

“Victory feels better, temporarily;

 

Defeat lasts much longer; it sticks with me

 

Till it and I live companionably,

 

Smiling at old claims of victory.”

 

The gray-eyed lady smiled reservedly.

 

“Ideas of ideas will trap a foolish man.

 

Avoid stupid fantasies if you can,

 

Keeping a grip on materiality.

 

There’s a visual feel to these poems, and, as someone who studied both poetry and Classical History, these poems resonated with me and I would recommend delving into this collection. R. W. Haynes is a rising poet whose path rises to meet him.

–Amos Greig, Editor-in-Chief, A New Ulster

 

Poetry with potency and play, Haynes’s work forces us to confront the treacherous times we’re living in. His words are sharp as a sword, and carefully precise too. His writing mirrors paradoxes, contradictions and truly how neither black nor white exist without each other. Reading Old Temples in Moonlight is a journey to recognizing how materiality is frail, and we the mortals, simply make the most of the cards we’re dealt.

–Saumya Choudhury, Founder of Delhi Poetry Slam

 

Three reasons to read Old Temples in Moonlight: 1. An extraordinary and diverse collection of poetry that never dips in quality or loses focus. 2. I love poem titles and in this book they are fabulous. 3. It’s a rare treat to find a book and a poet that uses rhyme so well and apparently effortlessly.

–Jack Caradoc, Editor of Dreich Magazine