Listen to People

John Tyndall's fourth book of poetry, Listen to People, comprises three sections: Lots of Love, Undetermined Significance, and Listen. Lots of Love features poems about his late father, his wife and son, and also cousins who have recently passed on. Tyndall's father's voice speaks of times in the Depression and friends lost in World War II. Tyndall's wife dances before she can talk, while his son shares the sound of rain in Alberta via his cell phone. Undetermined Significance deals with Tyndall's autoimmune disorder, MGUS, which impels him to listen closely to medical caregivers. Rogue antibodies become drunken frat boys as Tyndall's limbs buzz like distorted guitar solos. His chapter, Listen, returns to the voices and the reminiscences of friends and colleagues who have succumbed to or survived their own health crises. Gradually the poems seek redemption in work, play, and love. Tyndall listens to others as he would listen to himself.