When Godot Arrived - by Jim Tilley

Book Synopsis

In his latest collection of eighty free-verse sonnets, When Godot Arrived, Jim Tilley continues the explorations from the set of new poems in his previous book, Ripples in the Fabric of the Universe, and serves as an extension of that work. As usual, he draws on his experience as a poet and mathematician to fix a lens on the current raw state of the country and the world and on interpersonal relationships. At times, his mood is merely contemplative, especially in his testaments to family, but as he delves relentlessly into matters political, ecological, and environmental, that mood turns darker, even ominous, infused occasionally with humor to present a more optimistic outlook. It is a most expansive read.

Review Quotes

"Like Didi and Gogo in Beckett's play, the speakers in Jim Tilley's new collection wonder what to make of our common time here, our wait for the temporarily postponed but seemingly inevitable. These poems confront personal losses as well as the numerous harbingers of environmental collapse, from birds to beavers to beetles along Red River or beside Lake Marie, eddies and currents evoking social, economic, and political conflicts beyond the trails hiked in many of these poems. The figure in 'I Feel Sorry for Your Shoes' echoes not only Gogo's serio-comic obsession with his boots but also his resolve 'to plod onward' through the seeming futility of the present. Indeed, Tilley's free-verse sonnet form throughout When Godot Arrived is itself a gesture of commitment, an affirmation of form in the face of chaos. Gogo, who somewhat wincingly identifies as a poet himself, would understand."
--James Scruton, author of The Rules

"Jim Tilley's poems in When Godot Arrived present a carefully observed natural world engaged to convey a variety of felt experiences. Canadian geese, whimbrels, Galloway cows, mallards, alpaca, caterpillars, pine trees, Japanese maple, bodies of water, and more all set a stage for reflections on life in a laid back, often ironic key. Unrhymed, free verse poems reveal a questioning self, caught sometimes 'between too many and / too few, when I sense I can see, but actually can't.' There is magic in Tilley's world; at one point the speaker is drawn to worship towering power lines. A polluted lake has colors that become lyrical under lights, a battered Jeep is a haven for an elderly couple, an aging maple has 'limbs spiraling upwards like / a figure skater's arms.' The book ends on an elegiac note, softened by the knowledge of 'what it truly / means to be alive, more than just breathing.'"
--Jo Sarzotti, author of Waiting for Achilles

About the Author

Jim Tilley's poetry is inspired by his love of the outdoors, particularly walks in the woods or along a lakeshore or seashore. He has published four full-length collections of poetry and a novel with Red Hen Press. His short memoir, The Elegant Solution, was published as a Ploughshares Solo. Five of his poems have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His most recent poetry collection, Ripples in the Fabric of the Universe: New & Selected Poems, was published in June 2024. He lives in Bedford Corners, New York.