Songs of a Psychic Seahorse by Stephen Roxborough is prefaced on the male seahorse as parent and throughout the poetry collection the parent laments the changing times, offers advice to his children, and revels in the nostalgia of the past. A few minor quibbles about this collection: some misspellings throughout, and if they were on purpose, they did little to enhance the poems; and the repetitive nature of some of the latter poems with subject matter already covered and could have been tweaked further to provide new insights or greater variance in imagery.
Roxborough clearly has a background in lyrics and music, as many of the poems are heavily anchored with word sounds and repeated refrains. It almost makes the reader with there was a musical accompaniment to it. Perhaps an audio version would have one?
In the opening poem, “foreword,” the poet establishes the connection between the seahorse and humanity. Like the hippocampus of our minds where memory lives, the seahorse is part of the hippocampus genus. This connection establishes the back and forth in these poems where the seahorse father is imparting advice and worrying that the children will fail to learn all they need to survive. But it is more than the father raising children, it is a collection in which the children teach the father. “how teacher become student/& the perpetual looping after-effects/of quantum entanglement” (pg. 1)
One of the best poems comes early on in the collection and reminds me of the thoughts I’ve had about my own generation.
my generation started strong (pg. 5)
scorned materialismmarched for civil rightsprotested warrallied for female equalitybut in the end we turned out to beanother disappointment
Isn’t this true of all generations who start out idealistic and ramped up against the system’s wrongs? They start strong until they are swallowed up by a system meant to capture us.
Today’s generations have a different trap — technology. In many ways, the previous generations created the trap our children find themselves caught up in. They are no longer playing outside, no longer commisserating with their friends, and becoming lost in the search for knowledge. “the self-appointed shut-ins/the digital dandies/& lost inside boys” (“the kids today are smarter,” pg. 7)
There is a lot to unpack in this collection, but the overarching themes are that no one generation knows best. We all should continue learning from one another. There is more for us beyond out generational confines, and while older generations can impart wisdom garnered over the years, the younger generations ultimately find their own way, learn their own lessons. Perhaps push the boundaries of what we all know now.
Songs of a Psychic Seahorse by Stephen Roxborough is ripe with parental struggles and joy, but it also reminds readers that just because generations face different challenges, it doesn’t mean that one generation is better than another. We all should be aware that there will be that “inevitable knock” on the door when our time is up. Enjoy what you have, when you have it.
Rating: Quatrain
About the Poet:
Stephen Roxborough is the middle of three children. What are the odds of his older brother growing up to be the world's foremost oddsmaker and his younger brother a Catholic Mormon? He was raised by his Canadian father, business executive, and age group swim coach, and his American mother who made whipped wax candles, fabric angels, award-winning quilts, and 14 different kinds of Christmas cookies. They were married 64 years. His Canadian grandfather graduated as far as grade 8, yet became Chairman of the Toronto Board of Education. His American grandfather was an inventor for Bell Telephone, and secretly wanted to become a minister. The author raised two boys from diapers to high school. He knows there's no retirement from parenting, and works at writing, photography, and being a better father. Follow him on Facebook.
I really like the cover!