Scanning Past Horizons - Randy Lee White

Synopsis of, "Scanning Past Horizons: Poetry in Time."

With a taste of nostalgia, "Scanning Past Horizons: Poetry in Time," by Randy Lee White delves into the psyche of struggling Americans now and in the past. This thought-provoking and often heart-wrenching collection captures time in a poetic multifaceted view. With poems such as the "Morning Rush," and "Broad and Main," the audience feels the frenzy of rush hour and the workweek. They will plunge into a digital world that is instantaneous and permanent with such poems as: "Weirdest Thing," "Microscopes," and "The Workhorse" before reflecting backwards.

Explore a multifaceted view on poetic time: both in the present and in the past. Embrace key moments that have shaped America and the world. Such poems as "The 1903 Flyer," "Bonus. 1932," "Bone Dry, 1935," "Letter for Home, June 1944," and "Moonwalk, 1969," pull readers back in time. These events give a glimpse of a past not so clean, not so righteous-yet, promising. Many of these sonnets will tug at the audience's hearts with light-hearted comedy and realistic drama to create a sense of nostalgic wonder.

At the very heart of this collection is a poem about time itself, titled, "Now ' Then."  It illuminates humanity's struggle to preserve time. In a blink of an eye or the scroll of the platen roller on a typewriter time passes regardless of our feeble attempts to control it.  

The essence of this collection is time. Time to think; time to ponder. This gathering of poems clearly reflect that facet first shown in the introduction poem. And that same theme vibrates throughout the collection all the way to the last poem. Are we all searching for something to define us? Do we unknowingly judge others? Do we spit on "truth's granite façade," as the old man said. Perhaps his sarcastic attitude can help us see our ignorance in judging others without a better understanding of ourselves. This multifaced collection fills the reader with a sense of purpose in that understanding.

In the end, "Scanning Past Horizons: Poetry in Time" is more than a poetic concept of time. It is about our humanity and how certain moments in time have affected us. Furthermore, this collection leaves readers pondering the question of whether we define the events that make history or do the events that make history define us forever? This multifaceted poetry collection will be a timeless glimpse into that abyss and have readers returning again and again.