Poetry Roundup: Asimov's March 2009

First Beer on Mars by David Lunde

Just what it says on the can; story about the building of the first Mars brewery. Adequate.

Nightlife by Sandra Lindow

Grammar is sexy. Great fun, the only part I didn't love was the last line. But it needed something like that, so I'm calling this page-full-of-wordplay pretty great.

Cabaret by J.E. Stanley

Blues musicians held captive by aliens and made to perform. Good enough in a shortshortshort story sort of way.

Poetry Roundup: Asimov's February 2009

They Believed in Fairies During World War One by Darrell Schweitzer

A sad, meaningful one about soldiers hoping for miracles and not getting any. I like the message and the ending, but the poem doesn't flow like I'd like it to.

The Silence of Rockets by G.O. Clark

Religion versus science in a non-flowing, non-rhyming, not particularly lyrical bunch of words with frequent linebreaks.

Singularity Song by David Lunde

An outward-zooming music metaphor about universe creation. The unpoetic fact that sound cannot travel through vacuum and the stanzas ending and beginning in the middle of

phrases distract me too much to feel anything but an oncoming

facial tic.

Regular Riders by Ruth Berman

Magical girl on a merry-go-round? I liked this well enough, sentimental but not overkill. A bit long, but it had flow, even if there was no rhyme or wordplay.