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Fancy Pants Poetry
*Available only at the author's online store http://agostinoscafidi.bigcartel.com in formats suitable for any reading device.*
Price: 2.50$
The poetry you'll meet in this collection will be biting, defensive, cynical and sarcastic. Dark humour is used to elaborate upon bleak life outlooks. At many times the spirit in these poems are rooted in antonymous rebellion. All that said, the reader will also encounter various instances synonymous with the proverbial "light at the end of tunnel".
Read a sample on the author's blog:
http://thehermitrant.blogspot.ca/2014...
Price: 2.50$
The poetry you'll meet in this collection will be biting, defensive, cynical and sarcastic. Dark humour is used to elaborate upon bleak life outlooks. At many times the spirit in these poems are rooted in antonymous rebellion. All that said, the reader will also encounter various instances synonymous with the proverbial "light at the end of tunnel".
Read a sample on the author's blog:
http://thehermitrant.blogspot.ca/2014...
- GenresPoetry
50 pages, ebook
First published December 1, 2014
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 9, 2014
I own a copy of this book courtesy of the author in exchange for an unbiased review.
Author Agostino Scafidi has a newly-published book called Fancy Pants Poetry. I wondered about the title he chose for this collection and he told me, "I sort of felt like I wanted to make my work stand out, as well as show that I'm not one of those "stuffed shirt" poets ... I guess I wanted people to be able to get the feeling they don't have to be "into poetry" in order to read my writing." Agostino's poetic voice is one of a more conversational, laid-back tone and, in his own words, as in some of his other work, he uses "dark humour" and a "biting, defensive, cynical, and sarcastic" outlook to explore the sometimes "bleak" world we live in. Like his other work, the reader is required to think, to suppose, to fill in the blanks, and put himself (or herself) into the mind of the poet which may or may not be Agostino's own voice. You may be asked to look for "the light at the end of the tunnel".
One of his favourite themes is that of the futility of trying to fit in when it doesn't fill the inner hunger to be oneself. Often, he uses tongue-in-cheek to express this. A good example is his poem, "Let's Be Irrational" in which he portrays "honesty" as "a punishable offence". The humour is indeed biting and he perceptively points out that you "Heed these warnings at your own peril" because not everyone wants to know the truth. "Some people won't ever forget their face to face with truth."
Agostino is a philosopher, always contemplating time and place and our relationship to it. (Not all of his poems are fraught with fighting fears and conformity.) Take the poem, "A Place To Go" where he describes birds as sending "Messages floating in the wind," and describes them as "soothing company". He captures the beauty of the moment with, "Everything that sways,/Dancing to a song,/Waving to the sun,/Bowing to the moon". There's a sense of contentment in this poem; a sense that the poet is content, doesn't have to know what lies ahead: "Silence is a blanket,/Guided by moonlight,/Off to lands unknown". This seems to be full of hope and beauty, about being open and contented. At least, that's my interpretation.
Some of the poems are a bit vague. As I get to know his work, I think they're probably purposely written that way so that the reader can bring his/her own ideas to the text. There's one called "Roger, Yankee, Foxtrot" that intrigues me. I keep going back to it and reading it through again. I think I understand the idea of it but it almost sounds like army talk, like the title is actually words representing their initials because otherwise I can't figure out the Foxtrot; but RYF doesn't mean anything to me either. I guess I'll be going back to read it a few more times.
Agostino's poetry won't be for everyone but if you like to think deeply about things, like what is different, appreciate well-written sarcasm, then you will probably like this book. One of my favourites in this collection is called "Under Advisement" which seems to be about groups, work, organizations, possibly even friends, who are not interested in individuals who have ideas of their own. "There's no room for your ideas,/Preferences, /They're all wrong/Only "my" way." I think it quite likely that many of us have faced that type of situation at one time or another. I love the way it ends: Let's take a survey,/Why don't we?" Perfect!!!
Agostino Scafidi's ebooks are available from his online store (http://agostinoscafidi.bigcartel.com/) and you can learn more about him by visiting his blog, The Hermit Rant.
Author Agostino Scafidi has a newly-published book called Fancy Pants Poetry. I wondered about the title he chose for this collection and he told me, "I sort of felt like I wanted to make my work stand out, as well as show that I'm not one of those "stuffed shirt" poets ... I guess I wanted people to be able to get the feeling they don't have to be "into poetry" in order to read my writing." Agostino's poetic voice is one of a more conversational, laid-back tone and, in his own words, as in some of his other work, he uses "dark humour" and a "biting, defensive, cynical, and sarcastic" outlook to explore the sometimes "bleak" world we live in. Like his other work, the reader is required to think, to suppose, to fill in the blanks, and put himself (or herself) into the mind of the poet which may or may not be Agostino's own voice. You may be asked to look for "the light at the end of the tunnel".
One of his favourite themes is that of the futility of trying to fit in when it doesn't fill the inner hunger to be oneself. Often, he uses tongue-in-cheek to express this. A good example is his poem, "Let's Be Irrational" in which he portrays "honesty" as "a punishable offence". The humour is indeed biting and he perceptively points out that you "Heed these warnings at your own peril" because not everyone wants to know the truth. "Some people won't ever forget their face to face with truth."
Agostino is a philosopher, always contemplating time and place and our relationship to it. (Not all of his poems are fraught with fighting fears and conformity.) Take the poem, "A Place To Go" where he describes birds as sending "Messages floating in the wind," and describes them as "soothing company". He captures the beauty of the moment with, "Everything that sways,/Dancing to a song,/Waving to the sun,/Bowing to the moon". There's a sense of contentment in this poem; a sense that the poet is content, doesn't have to know what lies ahead: "Silence is a blanket,/Guided by moonlight,/Off to lands unknown". This seems to be full of hope and beauty, about being open and contented. At least, that's my interpretation.
Some of the poems are a bit vague. As I get to know his work, I think they're probably purposely written that way so that the reader can bring his/her own ideas to the text. There's one called "Roger, Yankee, Foxtrot" that intrigues me. I keep going back to it and reading it through again. I think I understand the idea of it but it almost sounds like army talk, like the title is actually words representing their initials because otherwise I can't figure out the Foxtrot; but RYF doesn't mean anything to me either. I guess I'll be going back to read it a few more times.
Agostino's poetry won't be for everyone but if you like to think deeply about things, like what is different, appreciate well-written sarcasm, then you will probably like this book. One of my favourites in this collection is called "Under Advisement" which seems to be about groups, work, organizations, possibly even friends, who are not interested in individuals who have ideas of their own. "There's no room for your ideas,/Preferences, /They're all wrong/Only "my" way." I think it quite likely that many of us have faced that type of situation at one time or another. I love the way it ends: Let's take a survey,/Why don't we?" Perfect!!!
Agostino Scafidi's ebooks are available from his online store (http://agostinoscafidi.bigcartel.com/) and you can learn more about him by visiting his blog, The Hermit Rant.
February 25, 2015
“Sometimes all people really want is to be the stepper and you the stone.” ~from Secrets
As a writer, a lover of words, poetry is dear to my heart. So are the poets who write them. I respect those who expose their words to others—risking judgment, misunderstanding, and criticism. I know this sounds dramatic, but exposing your writing is truly exposing your soul. And that can be scary, because it’s almost instinctive to show our best face, the mask that shows the rest of the world that we are strong, confident, and have our stuff together.
With that said, I enjoyed reading this collection of free verse poetry—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some contributions are light and simplistic, others are heavy in significance, and the author’s currents of sarcasm are illuminated with beams of hope.
Here are a few statements I especially enjoyed:
“Denial is a language.”
“Sometimes the most temporary can seem like the lengthiest eternity.”
“I won’t be accompanied, but I’m going with everyone.”
“Have you ever tried to dance between truth and lies?”
4 Stars
Purchase: http://agostinoscafidi.bigcartel.com
Sample: http://thehermitrant.blogspot.ca/2014...
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a Review Copy from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The options I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
As a writer, a lover of words, poetry is dear to my heart. So are the poets who write them. I respect those who expose their words to others—risking judgment, misunderstanding, and criticism. I know this sounds dramatic, but exposing your writing is truly exposing your soul. And that can be scary, because it’s almost instinctive to show our best face, the mask that shows the rest of the world that we are strong, confident, and have our stuff together.
With that said, I enjoyed reading this collection of free verse poetry—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some contributions are light and simplistic, others are heavy in significance, and the author’s currents of sarcasm are illuminated with beams of hope.
Here are a few statements I especially enjoyed:
“Denial is a language.”
“Sometimes the most temporary can seem like the lengthiest eternity.”
“I won’t be accompanied, but I’m going with everyone.”
“Have you ever tried to dance between truth and lies?”
4 Stars
Purchase: http://agostinoscafidi.bigcartel.com
Sample: http://thehermitrant.blogspot.ca/2014...
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a Review Copy from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The options I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
January 17, 2015
Mr Scafidi sent me a request to review his latest poetry collection. I must say this is a first. Usually, I have authors give me a bit of run around and request my purchasing the book in question. (I think we can all say 'scam'.) So I was sent the collection and was pleasantly surprised.
Often poetry can be rather flowery and lacking in actual substance. Not so with Fancy Pants! The poem "Passing Time" is short and simple in wording, but gives a valuable piece of wisdom-- one doesn't have to travel the world to find the peace that they seek. Another entitled "Roger, Yankee, Foxtrot" struck me rather to the core of my being. We each carry a weight and a burden that sometimes we need not carry, but for the safety of those we love, we gladly bear the burden. I could go on and review each poem, but there are far too many, and I've not enough space.
Scafidi's poetry is light, beautiful, and honest... even if our author does bemoan the pain of honesty. All in all, Fancy Pants Poetry really doesn't live up to its name. Its not fancy, not in the slightest, but its raw in its beauty and simplicity. A wonderful collection that I feel many would enjoy immensely.
Often poetry can be rather flowery and lacking in actual substance. Not so with Fancy Pants! The poem "Passing Time" is short and simple in wording, but gives a valuable piece of wisdom-- one doesn't have to travel the world to find the peace that they seek. Another entitled "Roger, Yankee, Foxtrot" struck me rather to the core of my being. We each carry a weight and a burden that sometimes we need not carry, but for the safety of those we love, we gladly bear the burden. I could go on and review each poem, but there are far too many, and I've not enough space.
Scafidi's poetry is light, beautiful, and honest... even if our author does bemoan the pain of honesty. All in all, Fancy Pants Poetry really doesn't live up to its name. Its not fancy, not in the slightest, but its raw in its beauty and simplicity. A wonderful collection that I feel many would enjoy immensely.
December 29, 2014
The short and succinct poetry of Agostino Scafidi skilfully prompts the reader’s own thoughts and reflection on life and living. In many cases I found myself admitting feelings, judgments and attitudes I would not admit to even my closest friends.
I got a lot out of the book by taking the time to consider the poet’s own contemplations behind each poem and reflect on how they applied to my own life and behaviour.
It is a book of poetry I will reread many times.
This review is also available on my website www.pam.id.au
I got a lot out of the book by taking the time to consider the poet’s own contemplations behind each poem and reflect on how they applied to my own life and behaviour.
It is a book of poetry I will reread many times.
This review is also available on my website www.pam.id.au
January 30, 2015
I don't usually review poetry books, because everyone reacts to poetry in a very individual way. However, this author approached me personally with a request, so I decided to give it a shot.
The poems are all short but strongly emotional. One of my favorites is titled "Secrets."
For the most part, the poems lean to the dark side, yet there is still a sense of hope in the words. This is a work that I will re-read many times in the future.
**I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**
The poems are all short but strongly emotional. One of my favorites is titled "Secrets."
For the most part, the poems lean to the dark side, yet there is still a sense of hope in the words. This is a work that I will re-read many times in the future.
**I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**
December 3, 2014
Fancy Pants Poetry by Agostino Scafidi
A fantastic collection of poetry. I liked the dark pieces, each poem has deep meaning and relays raw emotions. I really enjoy poetry that digs deep into your psyche and soul. Fancy Pants Poetry A has it all. A must read for poetry lovers.
A fantastic collection of poetry. I liked the dark pieces, each poem has deep meaning and relays raw emotions. I really enjoy poetry that digs deep into your psyche and soul. Fancy Pants Poetry A has it all. A must read for poetry lovers.
December 7, 2014
I was asked to read this collection and found it to be intuitive and emotive. It always surprises me how few words are needed with this author to propel those feelings we all have yet not always understand.
Good.
Good.
December 7, 2014
A truly fantastic collection of poetry. I especially enjoyed the Dark pieces. Each poem relays raw emotions and digs deep into your soul. If you enjoy poetry Fancy pants poetry isa must read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews