Hypothetical Mishmash, A Collection of Poetry by Daniel L. Swett 196 pg perfect bound ISBN 1-931575-61-4 $14.95 + $1.55 P&H As the title implies, this book purposely contains a mixture, jumble if you will, of poems, short stories, reflections and songs written in poetic structure about life in New England and beyond. Many are of a humorous nature. One, for example is a jest on how to determine which is the left sock and which is the right. Another “déjà vu and doggy do” is a light hearted review of a relationship gone bad. Still another relates to driving a convertible at a stop sign with a convention of birds above. Others are of a more serious nature (see excerpts). To order, send check or money order to: Dan Swett, 173 Highland Circle, Swanzey, NH 03446. E-mail the author

 

About the Book
About the Author

 Hypothetical Mishmash

About the book

Perhaps the best way to describe this book is with the following poem.

Poems I thought should mostly rhyme
So now perhaps would be the time
To write a book I'd understand
If it were held within my hand

I find no fault, do not oppose
Those writing poems in mostly prose
But there are those who would, I'm sure
Prefer their poetry mostly pure

I am no expert certainly
No Masters of Fine Arts Degree
No formal training spent on me
Just simple life is what I see

I bring you a collection of
A wide range of the things I love
With subject matter quite diverse
And written here in mostly verse


About the Author
     Daniel L. Swett grew up in a small town in the beautiful Monadnock region of Southwestern New Hampshire. He received a bachelor of Arts degree from Nathaniel Hawthorne College and an Associates degree in Engineering at New Hampshire Technical Institute.
      While serving in the armed services, Daniel had the privilege and opportunity to travel widely in the southern part of the United States as well as throughout much of Europe. These times far from home, combined with his life growing up in rural New England, provided a unique blend of varied experiences, which he has incorporated into his writings.
      The lifestyle of his grandfather, Perley Swett, a well-known self-proclaimed poet and area legend, known locally as the "Hermit of Taylor Pond", may well have influenced the author’s poetry.
      Daniel Swett is also related, although somewhat more distantly, to one of America's most famous 19th century poets, John Greenleaf Whittier. As Whittier did so successfully, the author attempts in Hypothetical Mishmash to present his poetry in a style that also captures the beauty of simplicity with carefully selected lyrical lines. 
Sample of the Work
A Child of God

A child of God sits all alone
And cries from guilt she feels she owns
With blanket frayed she's thinking of
How she deserved that latest shove

How in her eyes, devoid of gleam
Her thoughts preserve a central theme
And from her eyes, tears of despair
As she explains to teddy bear

How she was bad, yet once again
How she had lost, what could have been
As teddy bear hugs her with love
Helps her forget, that latest shove

Together they are quite a team
Together they will build a dream
A dash of care, a life that's fair
Just hers to share, with teddy bear

 Extinction Is Forever

As hard and strong as solid granite
The dinosaurs once ruled this planet
Became extinct but not a sound
For humans then were not around

The 1600’s came and went
And humans now were here and sent
The helpless Dodo to its doom
For sport and food I do assume

Passenger Pigeons once distinct
Before the teens but now extinct
And even when this did occur
From human tongues few words were heard

And later on as with this bird
So also went the elephant herd
The West Coast Condor also gone
As humans barely shed a yawn

And years ago my father's tale
Brought back to life the Great Blue Whale
Life's getting bad, just recently
We lost the last two chimpanzees

As hard and strong as solid granite
Men and women once ruled this planet
Became extinct but not a sound
For humans then were not around

 The Marble Touch

Oh I do love to sit and stare
In front of me, common and rare
My old lard pail that I behold
Contains far more than bars of gold

Or diamonds, they would still surpass
Imbedded streaks in spheres of glass 
Some clear, some not, oceans of blue
And earthy flowing colors too

And as I sit, before my eyes
Those tiny earths of different size
Each time I reach, another cuter
Small and clear or a larger shooter

So count me strange for how I feel
That these marbles have such appeal
Or count me odd but count me blessed
For having my own treasure chest
Return to top
Return to Old Mountain Press Books In Print