Bum Knees and Grieving Sunsets - by Daniel Romo (Paperback)

About the Book

This book demands justice and rallies against oppression. This book of poems chronicles the leaps of faith we take, careful not to leave out the landing.

Book Synopsis

This book is what the sun would say if it were to take a deep breath while looking down on humanity and then shining a spotlight on its exhalation. It's where we ask if getting older is simply our rite of passage or a record of our passages we write. It's the soundtrack of bones learning to listen to the creak as we move from one part of life into another and the wisdom that can only be obtained through the missteps. This book is the snagged line drive we thought would be a hit and how we handle the next at-bat. This book demands justice and rallies against oppression. This book of poems chronicles the leaps of faith we take, careful not to leave out the landing.

Review Quotes

Daniel Romo is a five-tool poet. Rarely have I read poems that seamlessly integrate sports and love, religion and natural law, vulnerability and strength. Bum Knees and Grieving Sunsets is stacked with ear-conscious lines that have heart-conscious intentions. This

is a beautiful poetry that has the largesse of a Dodger dog and had me looking at the ceiling and muttering to myself as if I was Fernando Valenzuela, which to me is the highest of praises.

- David Tomas Martinez, author of Post Traumatic Hood Disorder

In Bum Knees and Grieving Sunsets, Daniel Romo offers incisive commentary on modern life, from the perspective of a father, spouse, teacher, sports fan, and observer of the world at its best and worst. Whether he's watching a child attempt to throw strikes, thinking about faith in the midst of an everyday scene, or pondering the power of muscle memory, Romo's speaker is a steady guide, unafraid to approach tough questions. Replete with wit, irony, and play, these poems leave the reader in a place of contemplation, as in "Proof of Life" we're told, "We do the best with what we can and call it / learning. // We hug our own bodies tight and call it /

damage control."

- Mary Biddinger, author of Department of Elegy

The poems in Daniel Romo's new collection wholeheartedly remind us of our "lonely stretch" of life. Every poem offers a domestic experience where "pain is never drawn to scale"-

with metaphors and meditations about love and aging. A hybrid of prose and lineated poetry, these scenarios are in the voice of a father, teacher, husband, and more. In a poignant

moment, Romo admits, "I'm still learning how to navigate the terrain between / fatherhood and second wife." These poems tackle life's biggest challenges with a fine balance between pathos and humor.

- Ruben Quesada, editor of Latinx Poetics: Essays on the Art of Poetry