In Doubtful Taste by Don Behrend

Self Published, May 2023, $10.99

In Doubtful Taste opens with a playful collection of poems about the pandemic, not making light of it but allowing us to breathe a little humor into the trauma of it all. The major accomplishment of this collection is its clever use of rhyming verse when examining things like our obsessions with dating apps, coffee, social media, and selfies.

“Rembrandt’s Selfies” For Rembrandt, the self-portrait was an art form / That showed the slow decline of human clay. / Now I, with just a selfie stick and smartphone, / Can do the same a hundred times a day.

Our politically charged, post-pandemic world is smartly depicted with unexpected turns of phrase that point out all sorts of contradictions. The witty animal and nature poems feel like an adult version of Shel Silverstein’s work. Also, “A little sly scurrility is fun.” Additionally, In Doubtful Taste manages to be both accessible for newcomers to poetry and substantial enough for word-lovers.