Carlo X by Edward Boccia
Pudding House Publications, 2008
Reviewed by Jen Garfield

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think the whole world must already be acquainted with Carlo X. Carlo X, of course, being the title of painter and poet Edward Boccia’s new chapbook from Pudding House Publications. If you haven’t caught on yet, each page offers a momentary sketch of the life of Carlo X, from the time he “looks at weed/ and thinks they’re roses,” to his more mature moments of martyrdom and contemplation.

Although he attempts the irrational

he has deep faith in the terrible.

This is why Carlo X can be seen

reading Paul’s letters and Mein Kampf

at the same time.

As a whole, this collection reveals a nonsensical, compelling account of this multifarious character. Like a model surrounded by eager art students craning for the best angle, Carlo X seems to be everywhere and everything. There’s Carlo X the attentive lover, Carlo X the exuberant painter, and then the Darwinist. And you certainly wouldn’t want to miss Carlo X sunbathing, or landing at Normandy, or peeling potatoes. In one poem, Carlo X is even eaten by a shark.

Delightful rhymes, familiar repetition and witty, existential titles like “Carlo X Sees Through Himself” make these poems seem like a children’s book with grown up appeal (though not X-rated). And yet, the question remains: Who is this mysterious, amorphous Carlo X? I searched for him on YouTube, but found nothing. Is Edward Boccia Carlo X? Is Carlo X a Dadaist? A scientologist? Is he you? Is he me?

In the end, as in all ends, we say goodbye to our friend. But there’s no time for mourning. “Now that Carlo X is dead,” Boccia writes, “the pansies come up smiling.” And, for no apparent reason and for every apparent reason, so do I.

Pudding House Publications can be found on the web at http://www.puddinghouse.com/

Jen Garfield is the poetry editor for Prick of the Spindle. Her poetry has appeared in  numerous journals and recently, she was the recipient of a 2007 Illinois Arts Council Literary Award. Her chapbook, Excuses for Happiness, is forthcoming from Pudding House Press.  This week, she likes Greek mythology, advice columns, and shih tzus. 

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