Tweet Tweet Tweet by Greg Santos

                T3 is here and it’s better than Terminator 3. It has more heart than that Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle and more suspense. Greg writes with such affection for language, its use, and how the language appears to interact with itself. All poems are short, economic in their use of space and time. Each one however retains a certain personality, an endearing quality which makes you want to go back to them, to see how they are doing. 

                Some of these poems are from other places in different ways. The found poems serve as a reminder that poetry is all around us, whether it is considered graffiti or otherwise. Greg is kind enough to show us pictures for two out of the three poems. I wish the original writers had signed their names. I do like the idea of writing as ‘ready-mades’. Besides the found poems there are remixes, perhaps found poems in a way. Brandon Scott Gorrell and Ellen Kennedy receive this treatment, as Greg takes their poem titles and transforms them into poems. Another Muumuu House book, “The Poetical Works of Lord Bryon” gets this treatment as well. Removed from their natural habitats, Greg shows us new moods outside of any of the author’s original intent. Poems are combined as well; as is the case for “How the Poet Laureate Spends his Days” which I thought referenced Poncho Peligroso, the 2011 Poet Laureate. But no, it does not. 

                A lot of references to Westies lie in these poems. I am not sure why. They appear to be adorable little dogs. Greg states they like tater tots. I’d go further and call them dog-like tater tots, though that’s just me. In “Why I like Westies” I enjoy the repetition of the word ‘They’ as if Greg is rallying the reader to his canine cause. They show up in a few other poems, in one with the best line ever “Humping as if they knew it was their last hump”. I smile at this line every time I read it. 

                Westies are not the only animals scurrying about. Birds receive a great deal of attention. This makes sense as small, adorable creatures fit in well with Greg’s general aesthetic. Someone tries to fly. One of the found poems mentions sparrows. Poems are treated as living creatures too, creating a humorous kind of self-awareness. “This Poem wants you to trust it” is an example of the relationship language wants with you. My favorite animal poem has to be “Tiny Elephants” which uses the tender line “They are like musical chickpeas”. I love that line. 

                Pop culture receives its fair share in this collection, though Greg focuses more on animals and nature than culture itself. Tweet Tweet Tweet is an excellent, sweet collection showing off Greg’s positive, happy witty lines alongside genuine affection.