Alexandria, VA – Review: A Midwestern Heart: Poems
Publisher: Bottom Dog Press
Author: John Kropf
Reviewed by: Ralph Peluso, Literary Editor
Zebra Rating: 5 Stripes
John Kropf is an enthusiast for preserving the stories and history from America’s Midwest and does so through speaking, teaching, and writing. But there is more to his story.
Kropf moved from Ohio to DC to work for the State Department on international law. There, he turned his focus to data protection law, and he extended that to Midwest history.
He has authored three books. “His most recent, “A Midwestern Heart: Poems,” “Color Capital of the World: Growing Up with the Legacy of a Crayon Factory,” and “Unknown Sands: Travels in the World’s Most Isolated Country.”
“A Midwestern Heart” is an assemblage of life’s moments, very relatable to most of us. Kropf writes about important aspects our past that inform our traditions. His work also revolves around on the deep sense of community and an environment where everyone feels like family.
Recently, I asked Kropf why he ventured into poetry and what he hoped to accomplish by exploring the craft. “I love wordplay and the fun you can have with language,” he said. “I wanted to take my love of words and see if I could transform it into poems. Poems can deliver short, powerful messages in a way that prose can’t.” He added that “poetry was a challenge to see if I could work in a different context with language.” Kropf delivered on his personal challenge.
There is an old adage adopted from a Thomas Wolfe novel: “You can never go home again.” It means that although your perspective of the past is always positive. when you return, it is never the same because you have, in fact, changed.
Kropf’s very short poem, “Wild Town”, takes a very different spin.
I ran wild,
then I ran away from a Northern Ohio town.
But I took the town
and my wild ways with me.
If you spend time reflecting on this poem’s meaning, you’ll find it worthwhile.
When asked who inspired him, Kropf talked about Billy Collins, whose work he calls “accessible.”
He can start a poem about a box of Cheerios and lead you to thoughtful observations about the world, Kropf explained.
Collins is best known for conversational, clever poems that draw readers in with witty humor that leads them to quirky, tender, and profound everyday remarks. I think the Collins effect is present in Kropf’s “Irony of Loyalty”. In eleven words, readers may conclude it is easier to make and keep enemies in one’s life than friends.
When asked about the most difficult aspect of writing poetry, Kropf admitted its the ending “And also, not being too glib with my poems,” he shared, “I’d often start a poem about an observation and try to find a clever way to end them. That can be annoying and predictable if you’re the audience.”
The author grouped “A Midwestern Heart” into seven everyday themes: Childhood, Seasons, Work, Travel, Stories, Time, and short amusements, which he referred to as the Penny Arcade. My favorite section is Time. The section is quirky, especially when you travel across the international date line into tomorrow without finishing today or springing ahead and falling back as most of the US does each year.
“A Midwestern Heart” is a pleasant, easy-to-read compilation of poems and an elegy for things like test patterns to 7-UP cans. Everyone can enjoy the collection. This snippet is guaranteed to make you smile:
digital morning,
everything needs a password,
everyone forgets
Born in Sandusky and raised in Erie County, Kropf enjoyed a career as an attorney and Chief Privacy Officer for a Fortune 500 company in addition to his work for the federal government. An adjunct professor at the George Washington University Law School, he is a member of the Society of Midland Authors. He lives in the DC area.
Here are some interesting facts Kropf shared during our interview:
1) At one time, he vintage travel guides, but stopped because he was running out of space.
2) He collected vintage crayons and related supplies manufactured from the American Crayon Company.
3) He lived in the central Asian country of Turkmenistan for two years..
“A Midwestern Heart gets five solid Zebra stripes.
The poetry included in this review is reprinted with permission of the author.
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