The Tongue They Shared

Moonstone Press, 2021

Runner-up in Moonstone Arts’ 2021 Chapbook Contest.

Twenty-four pages of Paul Siegell mesmerized by live music, mental health, America, Philadelphia, and the beloved tomato.

“Pay the bill. Leave the credit card behind.” There is elegance and grace in the light on the cityscapes and salvage yards of The Tongue They Shared. Paul Siegell spins you a couple times and gently pushes you into the Poetry Funhouse, with a wink to the masters: e.e. cummings and Ronald Johnson. You can hear this poetry breaking through to a new language – with a Philadelphia accent.
—Leonard Gontarek