They Have Not Seen the Stars: The Collected Poetry of Ray Bradbury (ISBN: 1588810380 / 1-58881-038-0)

Lancaster, PA: Stealth Press, 2002. First Trade Edition. Signed by the author, legendary science fiction author Ray Bradbury. Foreword by Ray Bradbury. Fine in a fine dust jacket. What a joy to have another way to appreciate Ray Bradbury. Poetry! Who knew? And yet it is an obvious conclusion given Bradbury’s sensitivity and imagination paired with his great gift of expressing the marvelous in the simple things in life. From his wonderful foreword in which he describes his reluctance to try his hand at poetry until at age 41. After turning down a well-paying offer to write an article for ‘Pro Football Magazine,’ he began to reconnect with his days watching his brother play the game in high school and all that went with it. He writes: “The memories surged back, especially of those games I attended again and again, my brother a buffalo among gazelles. Suddenly I sat at my typewriter and wrote an eight page memory poem about the seasons, the people, and the game itself. Finished, I wondered what in hell to do with a longwinded paean to the autumn game?” As it turned out, Bradbury submitted the poem to the magazine, where, to his surprise and delight, it was published and he received a check for $500. From that time, there was no stopping him, and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to savor the results.