The Smallest Talk is a collection of one-line poems, or monostiches, about the narrator’s life. With a mixture of jocularity and solemnity, McFee’s book, though brief, opens its readers’ eyes to enable them to see the extraordinary aspects of their ordinary lives.
Seasons of Life
The book is separated into four sections, each of which can be considered to be dealing with one section of the speaker’s life. The first section is presumably about the narrator’s teen years, the second his twenties, and the third his middle age. The fourth and last section deals with the subject of death, and contains perhaps the most moving and evocative poems in the entire book. The sections could also be reflective of the four seasons, beginning with spring, a time of awakening and birth, and ending with winter, a time of melancholy and death.
Section I
Section I of The Smallest Talk begins with the speaker (most likely McFee himself), describing the first time he saw the woman who would later become his wife. The following poems in this section focus on his relationship with this woman, and culminate in their first sexual experience together. One poem that stands out in this section is “Breaking the Commandments,” which reads simply: “I lowered my eyes to worship her golden calves.”
Section II
The second section is mainly about the narrator’s early endeavors into the field of writing, as well as the party-like nature of college. This section is the most humorous in the book, with poems such as “Including Words,” which reads: “What comes out of the body is warm, and mostly waste” and “Beer,” which reads: “Doer’s drunken cousin, draining another pitcher.” The use of a pun in this poem is indicative of McFee’s playful style, and leads the reader to wonder whether the other poems in the book could also be read in more than one way.
Section III
The third section is about the speaker’s stagnant, waning love for his life, and vice versa. Poems such as “Second Teenhood,” which reads: “How badly he still desires to be desired” makes the reader certain that the narrator is heading into his midlife crisis. This section contains elements of both comedy and tragedy, and the saddest of the poems in Section III is “Sharing Chapstick: The closest his lips may come to touching hers.” This monostiche highlights the sadness of growing older, but the last poem in the section gives the reader a sense that the speaker's sense of humor is not lost, for, though it deals with a serious subject, it is perhaps the funniest poem in the book. Entitled “Impotence,” it reads: “Sorry, but this line just won’t quite”. McFee’s ability to keep a sense of humor when writing about dark times makes the book more enjoyable for the reader.
Section IV
The last section of The Smallest Talk leads the reader from death to cremation, and is undoubtedly the most morose of all the sections in the book. A particularly stirring poem is “Before the Bulldozers,” which reads “Today the meadow exhaled its last purple words.” This poem illustrates McFee’s amazing talent for creating a detailed and moving image in the reader’s mind with only the use of a few simple words. Another moving excerpt from the final section is titled simply “X”. This poem reads: “Tilted roadside cross, its faded flowers mark the spot.” This is another beautiful yet haunting image, and it is hard for the reader to forget it.
The Smallest Talk is delightful piece of modern literature. Though the poems may seem simple, they are actually intricately woven tapestries that describe aspects of most people’s everyday lives in a way that is truly unique. This book is for everyone, from the student with a short attention span, to the literature professor who is looking for a deeper meaning of life, to the average man or woman who is just looking for something to read to pass their time. McFee is a poetic genius, and everyone would benefit greatly from reading his book.
The Smallest Talk was published in 2007 by Bull City Press. ISBN: 1-4243-1797-5
