They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but that’s how I pick a lot of poetry out at the library. I browse the stacks and just look for what stands out to me on any given day. Since the library is free, there’s nothing to lose by taking a chance! The cover of Jim Moore’s Invisible Strings evokes a melancholy and thoughtfulness that I was in the mood for last week. The back of the book mentioned “death”, and I knew I was all in. Fun fact: Moore’s wife is a photographer and she shot the photos on the cover. 
This collection itself is short, and the poems within it are short, as well. It feels like Moore was taking snippets of feelings and observations, trying to put some order to them to exorcise them from his guts, and then releasing them. Most deal with death, getting older, and loneliness. My favorite are the more bittersweet ones. This one perfectly sums up my recent experience at my 10-year college reunion:
NOT KNOWING HOW TO SAY GOOD-BYE
On the last night of winter,
seven old friends
staying late at the party,
unwilling to call it a night.
And here is a little beauty about death that I (Halbs) scribbled down from the book:
PIGEONS IN A BLACK SKY,
flying straight into the rain
on white wings, moving far away
from the very idea of day and night
into pure storm, never once
looking back, the way they say
the dying don’t,
once it is clear
that this world
is such a small beginning.
Personally (and so much of poetry is personal), only about four poems resonated with me on a deep level. While I think Moore is talented and worth reading, I’m giving a three-star rating based on the bangers to averages poem ratio in the book.
Poetry is so hard to review, but you did a good job :)
Thank you! It’s kind of intimidating to read, and writing reviews has helped me understand what I love about poetry and why.