LET’S GO TO BOLOGNA, FLORENCE, NAPLES, AND PARIS
If his words could take me to Bologna, Florence, Naples, and Paris, I’d already have stories and photos to share about the trip. It’s Spritz O’Clock Somewhere by Rick Lupert is a poetic tour, a travelogue in verse, a poem for every must-see moment, of some of the most beautiful sites known to Western civilization. The poems’ subjects dance between visual and observational immersing you as if you’re on vacation too, while sprinkling in just enough love theme that it doesn’t feel overdone, surprising you with laugh-out-loud humor, dropping dashes of thoughtful depth, and it all combines to reveal a travel guide made of poems of all sizes. After reading them, you’ll have FOMO, wanting to board a plane to see these cities for yourself; I know I did and still do. Some even made me hungry, especially for pizza.
Lupert’s poetry book had so many great poems, I had to approach my review with the goal of not spoiling the read by talking about every one of them. I could’ve picked many to break down, but I was looking for one encompassing the best parts of his writing style. The poem, “Museo Archeologico Nazionale de Napoli” had everything that made this book a fantastic read. It had the poet’s observations and related thoughts, bits of love theme for his wife and son, and a deeper look at the unsaid of what he’s seeing.
OBSERVATIONS GALORE
From the very first stanza, you feel as if you’ve just walked into the Museo Archeologico Nazionale de Napoli with the Luperts. The first line, “Apollo’s got big toes” (240), sets it all up. It makes you feel as though you’re seeing the first thing to stand out, while also giving you the impression the statue must be even bigger. Within the same poem, he uses his observations to interject thoughts; for example, in stanza XI, Mr. Lupert states, “Warrior with Child / 2nd-3rd centuries / Never run with scissors. / Running with children, okay” (241), simultaneously showing his ability to interject humor with impeccable timing. He masterfully does this in this poem and throughout his book, without overdoing it.
LOVING HER AND HER WORDS
As for the moments of love theme, it’s done as precise as a chef adding the right touch of seasonings so it doesn’t overpower the food. The poet shows this theme through his appreciation for his wife’s comments; adding them to this poem is also a display of them having humor in common; this may be a hint that humor is their love language, as well. One moment that sticks out to me was in stanza XVI; “Casts of the Statues of the Goddess Hathor Protecting the High / Dignitary Psammetichus, the Goddess ISIS and the God Osiris / Sir, would you like a hat / or an entire bull for your head? / Bull, please, Addie says. / Just be careful in the china shops.” (242); it captures her comedic timing and his love for the way she can time her funny comments. The other one that stuck out to me was in stanza XXVI; “Theatrical mask / Early 1st Century BCE / Addie has found an Oompa Loompa!” (243); this line brought a smile to my face, and also offered a perfect visual, if you’ve seen any of the movies based on the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I’m guessing he’s referring to the Gene Wilder one.
DEEPNESS SURPRISE
Then there are the deep thought moments. These will catch you by surprise because you’re reading observations, funny bits, quick moments about his wife, and BOOM—deep thought curveball. One moment in stanza XXI was particularly powerful; “These Egyptian miniatures are so well preserved, / unlike our objects today which disintegrate / upon first use” (242). Zing! It was brief and packed a punch. Just look at the items you’ve been buying. Many of them break or cease to be useful before they become old, let alone lasting for centuries. There’s even a moment of deep thought mixed with family in stanza XX; “Mummified crocodile (664-333 BCE) / with its mummified crocodile babies – / no descendants to carry on / its crocodile legacy” (242). This one’s a deep thought mixed with a dash of humor, but the poet, earlier in the book, shows his love for his son, communicating his son is never too far from his heart, and this love’s also part of the thought in this stanza. This has to be why the mummified crocodile babies trigger his realization that the lineage of the adult mummified crocodile ended as soon as they were killed to prepare for mummification. It’s possible that the crocodiles were already dead, but realistically, they probably killed them, which is the sad undertone brought upon by the poet’s fatherly feelings coming out after seeing the mummified babies.
LAST DAY OF VACATION
This poem captures all the techniques Rick Lupert uses to make his book entertaining. Sometimes he uses one or two, but he never uses them to the point of making them predictable. This also shows the unpredictability of vacation because you can plan as much as you want, but sometimes things happen, forcing you to adjust. By doing this, Lupert creates a true-to-life travel guide, like arriving at your beautiful hotel suite, only to realize the open-air cinema is right outside your window, making sleep a challenge. I wish I could go into all these moments, but that would require a spoiler warning, and it would be a disservice to the poet’s hard work creating this 5-star reading experience.
The highlights I can share start with how Mr. Lupert connects the poems to each other. Some poems are sequential, while others are separated by chapters. It’s not heavy-handed, and that enhances the effect, adding to the entertainment of the read. Another highlight was the way his poetry shows an almost step-by-step approach to his writing about this vacation, giving it an authentic travel guide feel. Some poems even seem to be written following a spritz or two, which definitely shows vacation vibes.
There were poems that legitimately made me LOL, but I have to let you spontaneously read them since we all have a different sense of humor. Some poems that made me chuckle may make you laugh so loud your pet runs away. There are poems like “At Night With Pizza” that made me hungry for a Margherita pizza, and a little envious since he and his wife were eating it where it was invented. Many poems show Lupert’s range, as well. Poems like “Free Walking Tour” had funny observations and thoughts mixed with lots of wordplay; the stanzas were so visual, it was like walking with them in Bologna. There were also some thought-provoking observations. It also gave off the sense that if you’re in Bologna or any of the cities they visited, the free walking tours are worth it; what a great traveling tip! And it’s just one of many.
Mr. Lupert even has poems on a train or bus. For example, “Train to Reggio Emilia” had visual prose of what he’s seeing from his window. It’s a multilayered poem with observations and opinions; many of them have a comedic angle to them, making an everyday train ride beautiful with a few drops of deep anecdotes. One of the best parts of his book is the full-circle moments you experience with them when they go to Paris. My favorite one to share is called “At Refuge des Fondus Again”. It’s a great example of him and his wife being veteran travelers to Paris. The poem also shows the wonderful banter between him and his wife, and how he expertly doesn’t tell her his wisecrack, which is also fantastic marital advice. It’s great seeing the restaurant from his perspective since it’s a return trip as he notices micro details as the macros naturally fall to the background. It’s Spritz O’Clock Somewhere by Rick Lupert is filled with wide-ranging poetry that will keep you wanting to experience more of their fabulous trip, poem after poem, resulting in an entertaining travel guide for Bologna, Florence, Naples, and Paris. Bon voyage!
Thank you for reading our in-depth book review about It’s Spritz O’Clock Somewhere by Rick Lupert. We are not affiliated with the publisher, but here’s the link to pick up a copy.
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E. R. Sanchez is the author of Fried Potato Press’s first young adult thriller, Petaco Dreams, which will be released Fall 2025 after the rewrite, new title, and new cover. He also has poems and stories published online and in print. If you’d like to read his work that was published online, please click here to go to his Stories and Poetry Section.