4.5 stars rounded up.

Anywhere Imaginable by David Demro is a delightful poetry collection that experiments with both style and subject and explores both the whimsical, fun side of life and the profoundly sad. The images he is able to conjure are very vivid. I could hear the particular metal of the library catalogue drawer being pulled open as I was reading "Card Catalog", for example.

The subjects were varied, but the voice throughout was very clear and I would definitely read more from this author.

Thank you to Net Galley for making an early review copy of this poetry collection available in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable collection of poems and relatable musings akin to journal entries, spanning the past ten years of Demro's life and personal experiences. The poems range in tone, some humorous, some sad, and others thought-provoking. My personal favorites from the book are Lost In Thought, Very Pleasant, WeFinallyMadeIt, Cooking Rice, Dream Rewind, Some Things Never Change, and The Forgotten, which had me chuckling to myself. This is the perfect read for sitting on a park bench while enjoying a beautiful day.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of this book.

Don’t be fooled by the apparent simplicity of a David Demro poem. This young father can pack a punch with just a few well-chosen words. With a casual, conversational air, Demro captures the work-a-day world of the office, the corporate entity vs the individual, and the pressure to earn a living, maintain a home and support a family. He conveys the sorrow of losing loved ones to war and cancer and old age. Through all life’s ups and downs, and the frequent insomnia, he strikes an overall tone of hope, love, and lightheartedness.

Demro’s wit and humor sneak up on us. An ordinary observation of the every day can morph into something barbaric, or tender, or quirky, or funny. Fans of “The Family Circus” comic strips will love the way Demro captures the cuteness of a child. I love the dark and edgy angle to the cleverness of the little Demros. Don’t miss “Eating Ice Cream in the Flames” and “Taxidermy.”

Even a short, simple, witty poem can make me laugh while feeling the sting of a well-placed word. I first saw this one at Instagram, which is where I discovered the poetry of David Demro, so I will share this one here in its entirety:
---
SSDD
I had to Google this acronym,
and now I feel old 
AF.
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(Yes, I had to look up SSDD due to FOMO! I am old!)

Note: please don’t go off in search of the Instagram page with the typewritten poems and the endearing portrait of the poet with his antique typewriter. The account is deactivated. Read “Scrolling” and you’ll understand. Social media pulls us away from family and the wonders of everyday life. We all know this, yet most of us ignore the reminders and keep scrolling. 

“Warm Clothes” is one of the most stirring:  finding comfort in the warmth of clothes fresh from the dryer while wondering where his family will go if they can’t make rent. 

The hundred-plus poems in “Anywhere Imaginable” tell us so much about a working man and his home life. Bit by bit, details emerge and swirl together, creating a family portrait. Corporate life. Layoffs. Paying the bills. Home life. Baseball games, the playground, zombies, the questions children will ask, the household chores and the misplaced tools, the walks under the moon, the moments that are so memorable: Demro has a gift for turning his unique observations into the universal experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this endearing collection of poems.