Dying of Lassitude and Ennui, Part 2

By: Phil Fletcher-Stokes
Publication Date: February 12, 2024
ISBN: 979-8879399707
Reviewed by: Rebecca Jane Johnson
Review Date: September 4, 2024

Dying of Lassitude and Ennui is Phil Fletcher-Stokes’ collection of poetry expressing struggles of a man who has lived a long life with severe sight impairment. He never married, suffers from irritable bowel syndrome, and lives hand to mouth all alone in utter obscurity. If this feels relatable, then this collection will bring a sense of camaraderie. These poems inspire this question: can we spare time and lend our ears to our elders? Also, it’s a good read for considering how to help the aging population stave off suicidal ideation.

This is the poet’s second book in a series; the title of the first collection—Dying of Boredom and Despair. Both collections contain random observations about everything from the Stepford Wives to defecating to bus travel to Yoko Ono, homelessness, and aging. The collection is ceaseless in its willingness to confront the human condition with honesty. In both collections, the voice feels consistent, and inspires a reader to be real while going through a spectrum of emotions: pity, insult, argument, agreement, weariness, humor, slow-pace, and despair—are we in this together? In the poem “Learn to Pace Yourself,” there is advice: “Young people, only do what you have to do; /never let other people dump on you; and don't / ever clean up old people's poo.”

The poet admires the English punk poet John Cooper Clark and Jim Morrison, and the collection feels a little like listening to Jim Morrison’s spoken word—chaos, rebellion, defiance, and meaninglessness. The poet describes himself as “a voice in the wilderness,” referring to his positionality as a social outcast, not by his choice but by living a lifetime of rejection and failure. This poet wonders—what is poetry when it seems one’s work is only acceptable if it is similar to all the other academics? These poems read like listening to a bitter stranger ready to share his honest, cantankerous ravings accompanied by a dash of sense of humor. He is homophobic. Though he lived a while in Thailand, the poet is from the UK. His sense of humor at once lightens a load of despair while also showcasing vitriol. It’s this poet’s deep pathos that can give the reader’s compassion muscle an opportunity to flex. While the poet is completely honest, “I’m 76; my life is awful and unfulfilled,” it’s that very honesty that is at the heart of the collection’s thorny charm.

If you are in misery and longing for company, read Dying of Lassitude and Ennui because its words will resonate, and it may help you to feel maybe you are not so all alone. The poet laments, “I am the epitome of pointless persecution,” and hopes he will die enroute to his next destination, in a plane or on a bus. There’s a poem about imagining a female wrestling referee wearing a skirt and how distracting that would be should she step over the poet while he is down for the count. Perhaps his sight impairment diminishes when he’s looking up a woman’s skirt? Another poem expresses appreciation for the forgotten genius of Jerry Lordan, songwriter of 60s pop tunes such as “Apache,” “Wonderful Land” and “Atlantis,” all sung by The Shadows. There are some scathing remarks about Yoko Ono and other well-known figures. This collection contains over 250 pages of poems that showcase the poet’s coping mechanisms for aging, disability, homelessness, broken heart, and tormented psyche, leaving a reader feeling like laughing and crying at the same time.

Quill says: Dying of Lassitude and Ennui is an acerbic and meandering collection of honest poems that could be likened to an angry old man hitting the reader over the head with his cane, but then also helping the reader to laugh about that.