A Euripidean Chorale

Reminiscent of Poe

I know that a lot of writers, especially poets, are loath to promote others’ work, but when one is so moved, as I am, then it is not a kind of turning away from one’s own efforts, but a turning to, an embrace, if you will, of their work, which echoes the divine. Loss is hard on all of us, and Bialer speaks plainly of it in his newest work, Time Is, Was, Will Be. With that in mind, see my review below. ⬇️

How does one sum up a life? Matt Bialer’s treatise on his wife Lenora’s passing unfolds as a Greek Chorale in free verse. The work features inundations in tone and texture, reminiscent of a Euripidean dirge. Here, rather than encountering Medea, we confront a reflective, didactic query that focuses on the passage of time and its many ramifications, both physical and material, as well as subtle and ethereal.

Bialer’s continual yet alternating queries... how he has counted the months, the haircuts he has had, his daughter’s ability to see this evolution, her acceptance of her mother’s death, are balanced equally against his. That others assume he is adjusting, he is fine.

Time, and whether the concept of it is real, plays a key role, and though it is not stated, gives rise to the other question: if time is not real, how do we know it has passed and that our acceptance of change has occurred? This poem seems to be one in a series on his wife’s passing, and in my mind, should be treated as such: in other words, if we could gain access to the stages of grief and wade our way through them, it seems to me, poetry is the ideal route, making this book a must have for anyone who has lost someone they love.

Bialer never lectures his reader, nor does he demand they are intimately aware of his life, but rather invites us in, dropping hints like so many breadcrumbs, along the way.

Matt Bialer is a poet and literary agent at Sanford, Greenburger Associates, and a street photographer whose work has received high acclaim.