war}pieces

Leo Jenkins has such an incredible and seamless way of pulling the reader in and completely immersing us within his words. His word choice and style is very noteworthy. As I read it for the first time I found myself going back to re-read the poems that really stuck with me. So many important topics were included and truth was shared in an incredibly authentic way.

A powerful and poetic telling of truths that should not be ignored. These poet warriors allow us a glimpse into the collective soul of those brothers and sisters in arms who have been to hell and back. Their experiences are worth reading and heeding — these poets use the art of words to wrestle with life, death, love, and war.

I typically don’t consider myself a fan of poetry. Perhaps it’s because I lack the artistic thinking required to appreciate the artistry of a true wordsmith. Or...maybe I just have too many bad memories from High School of having to write a poem, then being forced to read it aloud to my peers. Either way, I don’t recall a time that I ever enjoyed the idea of reading poetry. In the past few years, I’ve decided to try and push myself outside of my comfort zones. One of the areas I have been exceptionally mindful to expand was literature. When given the opportunity to read and review War{n}Pieces, I was initially struck by the realization that I don’t know a damn thing about poetry! Who am I to review a book of poems, when I am admittedly a poetic amateur in the truest sense of the word?! As I thought more about it, I realized that maybe that does not matter. Maybe the publisher was asking for reviews and critiques from the everyday man for a reason. Maybe poetry doesn’t require you to wear a beret, drink kombucha and spout off philosophical maxims at every opportunity. I mean, hell…I read Leo’s book Lest We Forget and it was an enjoyable read. He can’t be a new-age beatnik, sitting at a corner table of his local coffee shop, waxing poetic to every stranger that has the misfortune of making eye contact, right? After a brief internal debate, I decided to take the plunge. Following a brief e-mail and a short wait, I found myself in possession of an advanced copy of War{n}Pieces.So, what happens when you give a poetry book to a self-admitted poetic buffoon? Well, in my case; you become pleasantly surprised. Surprised by not only how well written the poetry was, but also by the realization that I was enjoying reading it! How can this be?! Simply put, War{n}Pieces is a poetry book that doesn’t read like poetry. There is no requirement for the reader to understand Iambic Pentameter, nor have knowledge of Couplets and Dactyl. (Don’t worry, I don’t really know about any of those either, they just happen to be a few of the glossary terms I seem to remember from Mr. Bradley and Mr. Sanetti’s literature classes.) Rather, this is the poetry book for a poetic layman. A book for anyone who is open to exploring a poetic take on the hell that is war. A collection of writings that run the gamut from short, artistic, and sometimes obscure; to compositions that have the easy readability of short stories. For those who remember the audible groan you let out when your High School or College Literature teacher mentioned poetry: Fear not. This book will not make you read in Olde English parlance, nor require a Philosophy major to decode their meanings. Leo has artfully boiled down the experiences and wisdom gained during multiple combat tours into this collection of poetry. Wisdom so undeniable that one need not be a combat veteran to appreciate the truth found in his words.Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of War{n}Pieces. Read it and let it expand your edges. The edges of your literary comfort zone. The edges of your views of poetry. Maybe most importantly, let it expand the edges on what you deem important in this short life. As Leo beautifully writes in the opening lines his poem “Redemption Road”: Redemption road is long, winding and seldom paved. We stumble. We fall. We learn to step soft with grace through the broken edges of ourselves.

Jenkins, a former Army Ranger medic turned writer/poet/artist, has authored and co-authored several books of both prose and poetry, the themes of which include war, assimilation, travel, and philosophy, among other things. This time, he has teamed up with the publishers/writers/poets/podcasters at the venerable Dead Reckoning Collective to bring you his latest.war {n} pieces give readers a further look into the effect of war on the human soul, though this is not the only theme. Like his previous works, he does not play himself into the rut of being only a writer of war. The other themes of his latest include political divides among a supposedly united people, the intersections of love and pain, religion, racism, consumerism, and the rushed and unnatural living in the modern world.Where Jenkins does write about war, it is not the glorification of the subject. Rather, he tends to put war into a room of mirrors to examine it from every angle, showing the unseen costs of what many of us have endured. For many of us, the Global War on Terror played out either like a spicier version of “The Office,” or even a Michael Bay movie. Reading Jenkins is like getting kicked in the nuts by an Oliver Stone film, which would show (often unwelcome) truths.

As a fellow veteran of the GWOT, I find a lot to agree with in Leo Jenkin's words. I find him speaking for me in poems like "Six Feet". I had my own six feet experiences and Leo captures "such common place ordeal" well.I was six feet from dyingthe night, bleak and arid, still.I was six feet from dyingbeneath a midnight moon’s blue chillI was six feet from dyingon a routine outing to find, capture, or kill. Found myself six feet from dyingamid the bark of bending steelFew present moments now feel as realas the night I was six feet from dyingnext to men accustomed to survivingsuch common place ordeal.I find most of the book speaks to the intervening years, both their prosaic moments and those notable for being harder than what we left behind. Leo Jenkins and the Dead Reckoning team have done a service to vets and civilians alike. This is our war. Welcome to it.

I personally believe that their is no better voice in the global war on terror than Leo Jenkins. You can not compare him to Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Sledge or Leckie because he is his own entity. He proves it yet agin in “war(n)pieces”. From the introduction to the final words you know he poured his soul on the paper. Anybody can pick up this book and feel something no matter the background or lifestyle and truly feel connected to the author. Most will relate and be familiar with these emotion. A single line from this book will leave you in thought for hours, and probably a little the next day. That’s is rare. This book is rare and it is art. I will recommend this book to poet fans newcomers or random people I meet at the grocery store because it is that damn good. Leo Jenkins is not a veteran author he is a writer who just so happens to be a veteran and that makes all the difference.

Ive enjoyed everything Leo has put his name to and this continued that trend.