Press Releases for poetry collections by Rikki Santer
Published Reviews of poems or poetry collections by Rikki Santer
- Ohioana Quarterly – Front Nine
- Plainsongs Editor Michael Catherwood reviewing award-winning poem, “On Riverside Drive”
- Ohio Poetry Association Editor Chuck Salmons’ Review of Clothesline Logic
- Ohioanna Quarterly – Clothesline Logic
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Unbeknownst to me, Miles Joseph, a senior at the high school where I direct a writing center, found one of my poems online and wrote this critique for his AP Literature class. I was extremely honored not only to have my work analyzed by him, but also to have my work examined in this academic context. Thank you, Miles!
“Abracadabra Abecedarian” by Rikki Santer ruthlessly ridicules our country’s current president, Donald Trump by comparing him to a shady, fake magician. Santer criticizes nearly every aspect of his personality and politics alike. For the first few stanzas, it is unclear who the speaker is describing, but it becomes immediately clear in the sixth stanza when she mentions his frequent Twitter use. The remainder of the poem is spent creatively and harshly criticizing Trump. The poem perfectly embodies the frustration myself and millions of other Americans feel towards President Trump.
I particularly like the beginning of the poem where the speaker calls out Trump’s supporters. Santer writes, “gallery of creased brows that lend virtuously in deviance with each deal, no end to / enthrall to mesmerism, just feast on the / fusillade of his growing tweets, firehose of a flame that just can’t clear its goosenecked throat” (3-7). She begins my criticizing his supporters, not Trump himself. For me, one of the most frustrating aspects of Trump’s presidency has been the ignorance of his supporters, and this statement sums up my opinion on them perfectly. As Santer explains, they are mesmerized and blind to logic. Santer also writes, “he thinks he is the King / Kong of cards, know how the trick is done, / but not how to do it,/ levitating the taproot of daily news; / mirrors ripple in their angles of incidence, / newsfeed séance, stage doors first slightly propped / open, then bummed shut” (10-17). Santer masterfully compares his manipulation of the media to a magician’s trickery, and unlike many parts of the poem, nearly every line of this quote can stand along as its own attack.
Santer concludes by explaining the hopelessness that she and those who agree with her stance feel towards Trump’s presidency. She writes, “we turn the channel, the cheek & struggle to loosen the / yoke of media obsession & pray that when our sight lines finally / zigzag across stage, they’ll settle on an empty cabinet where the elephant has vanished” (24-26). Santer feels as if all she can do is wait for his presidency to end and hope for a better future. This is similar to how I feel, as this point I don’t believe anything can be done about his actions until he’s out of office. As someone who despises Trump, this poem perfectly captures my own anger towards his presidency.