And These Thy Gifts

The seventh collection of poetry to be released by Thomas Porky McDonald, And These Thy Gifts: Poems 2007-2009, contains another five-book set of unique material. In Theresa, Red and Serenity, the self-styled ramble poet began an arc that would permeate throughout the entire volume. Pieces like 'God through the Lens of a Kaleidoscope,' 'You Wonder Where We’re At,' and 'These Thereafters' all spoke of the current world, in relation to a world that once was. 'Where is My Spy?' and 'Irish Girls in Waiting' cited friends McDonald had made in his two decades working in NYC Transit, and 'Incident on Blake Street,' 'Inside the Crawford Grill,' and 'Is Heaven Such a Place?' touched on the ballpark. In book two, Contemplating Farewell, the collection amps up, as the impending demise of Shea Stadium and the sudden loss of a dear childhood friend take center stage. 'I Wonder About Yesterday' and 'A Final Opened, Indeed' honor Roy Riegel, who passed away on Opening Day of the 2008 baseball season, and 'The Lights of Skillman,' 'A Ramp Overlooking Ecstasy,' and 'In ’73' all looked back at Shea, even as it still hung on for dear life. Whispering to Heaven, the third book of the set, used a trip to Los Angeles ('Risin’ Mojo on the Diamond,' 'The Night the 70’s Returned' and 'When Nothing Turns Up Differently'), Anaheim ('The Boater Battalion,' 'A Ruby’s Diner Monday') and San Francisco ('Where Were Without Willie,' 'The Known at Polo Guy') to lead up to the final days of the old yard in Queens ('Sittin’ in the Greens'). In the last two books of the collection, On the Steps With You and The Wonder of the Silver Wander, the final days of Shea and the election and inauguration of Barack Obama as the first black U.S. President offer up the most evocative images. 'The Planes Weep Openly,' 'And So the Fade Begins,' 'The Sound of Hope' and 'Another Tuesday' (Steps) and 'The Seats that Have Come Home Again,' 'Agee and Jones,' 'From 16 to 44' and 'Whistle Stops' (Wander) offer up the best of these. All in all, And These Thy Gifts: Poems 2007-2009, might well be McDonald’s most reflective volume yet.