In Boston Dialect: Volume I, a book of poems by the singer and songwriter Paul Tait, each work delves into the author's creative thought process. In a frank prose that is in some ways darker in tone than his previous work, Tait still manages to invite the reader with him on a journey of self discovery, with a certain grasp on lyricism that demands each page be read aloud even as he dives into topics like suicide, and love captured and lost. As with his previous book, Seven Centers, Tait continues to evoke a feeling of song lyrics, drawing the reader in with how the words are arranged and the cadences employed. His talent as a poet grows stronger with each work. Tait hops between a few different topics in Boston Dialect and while these are filled with more of a dark vein, he seems to build up the theme of Boston well.

As always, Tait uses a minimalist approach, one that manages to capture the essence of his thoughts and convey them to the reader without weighing them down in a torrent of florid prose. In Boston Dialect: Volume I, as with his previous work, Paul Tait has managed to create a simple collection that is sure to sit with the reader long after they have finished the last page. I enjoyed every passage and feel that Boston Dialect by Paul Tait should be a great read for fans of poetry as it illustrates the creative mind and stirs the senses.

Boston Dialect: Volume One by Paul Tait is a poetry collection that takes a hard look at life and its fabric of interpersonal relations, and explores the thought processes of the personae. Tait’s poetry flows gracefully and is imbued with an energy that issues from the conversational tone in which it is composed. There is an affirmed intimacy with the use of the “first person” and readers can see someone in dialogue with the world around him, a relationship with things and people — dreams, feelings, thoughts, places. Paul Tait writes:

“I’m a new actor on
A stage of continuance
Grow and be
Grow and be
– Be.”

There is also a crispness in the expression that captures the poet’s most intimate thoughts and his sense of self-awareness in the best, most visceral way, embracing a diversity of emotions — awe, hope and fear, longing, indifference. The poet captures powerful images of the world around him while remaining lovingly and deeply personal. At times this collection reads like a nonstop stream of consciousness, a reflection on humanity and values like hope, faith, love, and loyalty. Some poems capture, in vivid clarity and simplicity of phrase, the poet’s own thoughts on serious subjects. At times a word, an expression, a stanza stands out and speaks powerfully to the reader — urging them on to move forward, to fight, to not give up:

‘“Don’t give up”
Your life is more
Than what you feel
Your hour rises above
The dream…”

Boston Dialect: Volume One is as inspiring as it is deeply moving and the poet gives voice to some of the indescribable sentiments that visit the human spirit, at times in the hushed hours of the day, like the dream one has and doesn’t want to wake up from, like a new discovery of a reality that has been there before one’s eyes, veiled by the banality of life. The diction is beautiful and the lines of these poems are rhythmic. One of the greatest appeals of this collection lies in the simplicity of phrase and the sharpness of thought. A really enjoyable read, indeed.