Publisher's Synopsis
Steve Wheeler's latest collection of poetry is humorous, hard-hitting, tender, fast flowing and infectious. His word play is masterful and his sense of rhythm compelling. The poems are soaked in the trivia of modern life, long-marinated in popular culture and steeped in anxiety, hope and longed-for experiences. Steve takes pot shots at just about everything - from the greed of commercialism to the tragedy of homelessness, the pomposity of organised religion and the stupidity of acts leading to climate change. They're all fair game for this poet. His cheekiness comes out in 'I went out with your friend', his concerns about the planet are voiced in 'Still writing as the ship goes down' and his bizarre creativity erupts in the surreal 'Error 404.' There are plenty of laughs in imaginative pieces such as 'Orchestral stabs' (where an orchestra goes beserk) and 'I ate a planet' (which rivals Monty Python's Monsieur Creosote sketch), and 'Previously ... on deja vu', an exploration of false memories. Shocks and Stares is a heady blend of styles and themes that echoes his life. The lines are suffused with his outrage at injustice, his impatience with pomposity, his fascination with science and his love of black humour.
