Churches Paperback – March 4, 2014

The poems in this collection fluidly blend into one another to create a natural and organic collection. Divided into parts one and two, Prufer's voice remains distinctive and strong while simultaneously elegant throughout "Churches," and connections are easily made between poems. These pieces can be analyzed or simply taken at surface value. The pieces are aesthetically beautiful and haunting. A distinct struggle between the various branches of a family, between nature vs. nurture and the age old trials of the father-son dynamic are addressed seamlessly in this collection. He addresses the concept of loss as a familiar, unwelcome guest, looming unavoidable in the futures of every man and woman. There seems to be a natural progression from sadness to acceptance. This collection does not trivialize the nature of loss or the stages of grief; rather, Prufer writes to make these things more approachable and understandable. There is something comforting beyond the elegant language and beautifully constructed pieces. Many of the poems included in this collection will truly make you stop and reflect, especially "Paper Cup," and "I Am Knocking At Your Window". "Churches" is written with haunting honesty and will stay with you long after you've finished reading.

I read it and was so impressed with it that I gave it to my daughter who works in an Episcopal church and teaches college English.I'll probably buy my another copy very soon.

In his book, Churches, Prufer explores his experience of the world and life as forms of stories through his collection of poems. These poems intertwine various chronicles that take place in different times and are seen through the eyes of more than one speaker or at least same speaker at different periods. His poems appear to be moralizing in way that they speak upon on-going matters of the time. However, they lack fixed meaning or purpose and therefore forcing the reader to create their own meanings and moral values. In my opinion, that is what a good a poem is supposed to do.The poems in this book also differ from one another not only as a result of the different literary element usages but also the forms and style in which they are written. His repeated style, however, is how he tore apart and brought back together the structures of disjointed stories and monologues. That enables him to write two different stories in a same stanza of a single poem.He also uses a playful and humorous tone that sometimes the reader could find himself/herself enjoying his description of horrifying events such as murdered and buried children. Although it is challenging to understand the poems for the first several rounds, his different tones and sound make it an enjoyable read.

I forget just how brilliant of a poet Prufer is, then I read his collection and am awed by how well he navigates lyric and narrative. Perhaps my favorite poem from this collection is "El Paso"