A Taste of Michael

About the Book

"A Taste of Michael..." is more than a collection of poetry. It is social commentary, essay, criticism, "polemicism", satire, and sarcasm funneled through the conduit of poetry. It is also my personal, subjective history and my world view served up as verse. Subjects tackled include romance, sex, self, race, racism, "rurality", "urbanity", religion, and even economics, among many varied topics. "A Taste of Michael..." is not verse steeped in tradition or, better, verse guided by the classics. My style was forged as a result of me imbibing the poets published in the pages of The New Yorker Magazine, mainly. And, of course, in my effort to avoid constraints and compartmentalization, I strive for my verse to be "free."

What are we if we aren't ever-evolving? Is there any one set way to express ourselves, be it fiction or poetry? Always the rebel, always the revolutionary, my personality spills over onto the pages in "A Taste of Michael...", and I can only hope that you read, and in some cases re-read my poems to get a better understanding of what it is I'm trying to convey. Please, read and enjoy if for no other reason than enlightenment. Snatch a peek at my world. What more grand than consciousness, conscientiousness...raised?

About the Author

Michael Ollie Clayton (BlackShakespeare) was born in Redwood City, California, raised in New Orleans, Louisiana from age six, lived in England for two years, was on a plane hi-jacked to Cuba, served as a speechwriter for the Mayor of New Orleans, is formerly married to NASA Astronaut Yvonne Cagle, is an extensively published journalist and poet, and currently runs his cattle ranch.