Carnival Cocoon: Poetry Collection (2022) Book Review

Scottie Miller is a singer and songwriter based in Minneapolis. He has toured with Ruthie Foster and has put out several albums with the Scottie Miller Band. His latest release is a bit different, a book of poetry, his first such book. Titled Carnival Cocoon, it contains fifty-one poems, divided into five chapters. Scottie Miller has also set twenty-three of those poems to music, which he recorded and released as a companion disc under the same title. The book also contains some cool illustrations by William Phelps, who is a musician and actor as well as illustrator.

The first chapter of the book is titled “Walking On Eggs,” and Scottie Miller selected seven of the nine poems from this chapter to be included on the CD. Having been born and raised in Massachusetts, I can especially appreciate the book’s second poem, “Berklee,” with its mention of Mass. Ave and the Charles and dirty water (here becoming “dirty/dorm-room water,” adding another layer). The feel of this poem itself is jazz, the rhythm of the words, and those short lines increasing the tempo as you read, and the play on Miles Davis’ first name. The description of eating at Papa Gino’s is just exactly right, and I found myself immersed in memory, memories I could taste. After the first time I read this poem, I called my girlfriend, who is from East Boston, to share it with her. She dug it too, and it’s fun to read this aloud. I recommend doing so. “Whiskey, Coffee” also mentions Boston and the Charles River. And, yes, Scottie Miller did attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. Music plays a part in much of this poetry. Also, images of birds occur in several poems, as well as storms and winds and water.

One of the two poems from the first section not made into song deals with the pandemic, but perhaps not in a way you might expect, and the rhythm of that one too is compelling. “Stay” is another piece that speaks strongly to me, as he writes “Unsure about the future/And everything’s so unsure” (p. 21). But the message here is a positive one, not to give up, not matter how screwed up things are. In fact, the more messed up stuff is, the more you are needed. Most of the poems in the second chapter were not recorded for the album. One of the poems from this section that stands out is “The Greedy Shore,” in which Scottie Miller writes, “Port Fairy dresses up its waves,/they glimmer metal reflections./Australian ghosts know each they saved/and all who reached the heavens” (p. 30). One of my favorites from the third chapter is “Flirting With Darkness.” Here, Scottie Miller writes, “Drank more than my share and no matter the time/I’ve wasted hours on whiskey and wine/All while my friends tried to reel me in close/The further I strayed, the more random the prose” (p. 46). “Division,” from that same section, is also striking for we all feel the division within our country. Check out the poem’s final stanza: “Days have passed/when fascists reigned – /so why the craving/to feel that again?” (p. 49). Good question.

A favorite of mine from the book’s fourth section is “Hu Jun Di Painting,” in which Scottie Miller writes, “If her heart should find its mate/so shall the skies be full/the rivers deep and cool/the air rich with breath” (p. 65). As was the case with the book’s first grouping of poems, many of the poems in the final section were chosen to be included on the album. And the book’s title comes from the first poem of this chapter, a completely delightful piece titled “Ah, New York.” If you love New York or hate New York, you’ll appreciate this poem: “make the bed and freshen the room,/all are welcome in the carnival cocoon” (p. 70). Another highlight from this section is “Adrenalina.” Here, Scottie Miller writes, “Anything to quell this nervous inner fight/Tortured in the daytime, taunted through the night/Mingling here with demons, swimming there with fools/Good thing with demons is they never float in pools” (p. 77).

Carnival Cocoon: Poetry Collection was released on September 15, 2022.