Joe
Is not afraid of the most common language in his poems, of slang, of street jive; runningwordstogether - loppin' 'em off to sho wht he needs to sho. But he is not afraid of "poetic diction" either, not afraid to be a poet every which way.

Roarty
Finds the right rhythms for the time(s) and for the length of the line (often measured in jazz riffs and runs). You might think, "He's a 'Beat Poet'!" Joe has been there and gone. He digs further to find form. Lines change lanes. Words like "fury" might seem to become "furry" in a quick mental tic - words play all by themselves. Joe creates unique characters throughout his poems, especially in his short pieces. He has his own take on Satan, for instance, as he does on the street's gangs, and on almost everything else. Every once in a while, his poems run away and things get surreal. In this poets's work, honesty and technique meet without a fight - his poetry just works.

So
You will have a hell of a nice day reading Choruses I and probably other nice days picking up this book for some more enjoyable reading - although Joe wouldn't wish you or anybody a nice day, ever.

                    - John Starrs, May 19, 2005