Audiobook

Love Sonnets of a Car Conductor

Wallace Irwin

The comic genius of Wallace Irwin is boldly evident in this saga of the daily life and romantic aspirations of a humble but fervent New York City transit worker. In sonnet form we follow our hero's romantic challenges in his wooing of Pansy, the love of his dreams, and through Irwin's skill as a poet share in the classic tribulations that follow, "I got the zing from Pansy's orb / Which says, 'Dry out now, Shorty, --please absorb!'". Irwin's poetic virtuosity is brashly displayed in his use of the everyday jargon of New York City, adding both realism and brilliance to our understanding of and subsequent empathy for the daily trials of a hard working streetcar conductor and those he meets, "The yap that kicks and rings a deadhead call / Must either spend or else get off the car". Irwin takes us on a comedic streetcar ride through a life - a ride which is both amusing and instructive with frequent flashes of both wisdom and folly - leaving us with the prophetic and invaluable advice: "Up against Love the Candy Kid is nix; / The Porous Plaster wins because it sticks". - Summary by Bruce Kachuk