Mind Warp 20/20

Book excerpt: In Mind Warp 20/20 (After Shock), his fifth volume of published poetry, Richard D. Kydd JR. shows once again the wide breadth of his perspective. Just when poems such as the street-wise A Fool's Way and the tragically cynical Crack Down convinces you his vision is bleak, he surprises you with the optimistic spirituality of Spirit in Flight, or the haunting imagery of Life of Its Own. Kydd's work is full of seemingly contradictory surprises. Many of his poems deal with apparently helpless struggles and situations, yet there is an undercurrent of humor that shows the poet's maturity and acceptance of difficult circumstances. The facetious frustration of Meter Beater transitions smoothly to the still funny but savage reaction to unemployment of Job Hunter. He swings with ease from the raunchy physical humor of Free Style to the romantic spirituality of Intertwined. Searingly realistic but tempered with deep compassion and a true awareness of the beauty of humanity, this collection of Kydd's work reveals him to be a champion of the disadvantaged, and a mature observer of life's troubles and rewards.