Scott Siders

The Armpit of Desire Scott Siders

The Armpit of Desire explores internal and external realities with desire as the backdrop and central reference for the human condition. Siders can lure you in with a conversational, rapid-fire delivery, but then subdue you with a confident and reflective, if not suggestive, voice. He is quick to turn a phrase, yet control is maintained throughout, but just barely, and you get a sense that there's always a degree of risk-an idea or emotion taken too far-but he pulls it off at every turn, almost to your surprise. Siders reveals his versatility in some of the standouts in this collection, including "The Right Light," "After Before," "Offering," "Last New Look," "Wet Paint," and the title poem. Perhaps the most provocative, clever, and stylistically risky poem is "5 Cracks," whose unforgettable personalities evoke a sense of both bravado and surrender. The appeal of this collection is its inclusiveness, its glimpse into the various guises of desire, its unapologetic insistence that "we step over our usual / ten-dollar worn-out excuses, trip over / the unknowable, and pretend / we understand the reasons / for our disillusionment."