Poetry or stream of consciousness?
Smith and editors may call this poetry, however, it resembles unedited, muddled daily entries into a diary. In comparison to her songs -- several of her CDs fill my collection -- this books offers little in the way of nuanced insights on her state of mind. "The artist," according to Walter Gropius (1883-1969), "is only a craftsman of a higher order." That was not evident. As Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) believed, "The works are what matters, and it is through the works that are known the artist." Smith remains an enigma in this tome.