The PopCult Bookshelf

Cynical Rhymes and Lullabies
51gbYg8cvvLby David Synn
with illustrations by Sharon Lyn Stackpole
Empty Glass Records
ISBN-13: 978-0692614860
$14.95

First of all, a disclaimer: David Synn has been a friend, and occasional collaborator of mine for years. That is bound to influence my opinion of his work, but I will try not to let it color my review too much.

Cynical Rhymes and Lullabies is a collection of poems by area musician/poet David Synn, and it shows quite a progression from his earlier poetry (Art of Disilusionment, collected HERE), with a broader spectrum of poems that explore topics ranging from love to social media to lonliness, the future and even hints of speculative fiction.

This collection of thirty-three short poems is filled with David’s keen insights, unique analysis, clever observations and thoughtful philosophies, all distilled into brief, lyrical essays. More optimistic than his previous collection, Cynical Rhymes and Lullabies still brims with David’s seasoned worldview that makes the title particularly apt. He proves that you can be hopeful without forgetting the life lessons you’ve learned.

Aiding David in this endeavor is another friend of mine, Sharon Lyn Stackpole, who provides the cover art and spot illustrations throughout. She does a great job capturing the spirit of David’s poems and her work enhances his already strong material.

Cynical Rhymes and Lullabies is a short book, but one that bears repeated readings. David’s wordplay is inventive and evocative and stands up well to different intepretations.

David is returning to music, his first love, so it may be a while before we get another book of poetry from him, however the chance of his foray into poetry affecting his music and lyrics in the future leaves us hopeful that we will continue to hear more from this unique voice.

Cynical Rhymes and Lullabies can be ordered directly from Amazon, where it can also be purchased for the Kindle.

PopCult Note: Last month I inteviewed David for The AIR. In this one-hour RFC Interview Special we talked about his music, his poetry and his artistic collaborators. You can listen to the interview on this embedded player/link HERE