Trapped In Oblivion

About the Book

In Trapped in Oblivion: Between the Rule of Heaven and Hell, poet Richard D. Kydd Jr. describes exactly that human condition: Souls at once held in the hand and vision of God, while suffering the struggles of the damned and blind. And therein lies Kydd's gift; the ability to realistically portray both the endless human capacity for hope and love amid a life of sorrow and loss. His ability to reconcile this paradox and juxtapose hope and despair in the same poem is what makes his work so compelling.

As in his previous work, Kydd shows wide range. In By the Pale Moonlight he describes the moon as simultaneously, "A barren desolate environment of rock a bureaucratic reason to spend billions a beacon showing lovers the way to the heart " and, finally, with tongue in cheek, " an excuse for a poem's subject matter."

Kydd understands illusion well, and the theme runs throughout his work. Oh God Dear God presents a typical happy family, then bluntly and unexpectedly shocks at the end. He speaks often of the mirage of money and power, and of the soul losing its way in pursuit of illusory happiness. Yet in the end he always gives hope. In Star Bright he may say sarcastically, "Lactose intolerant to your Mama's tit," as he depicts the fate of the outcast. But in Rings of Fire he promises, "Life has blessed us one to another in this day of our love."

In The Shadow of a Friend Kydd says, "You know my dear Sister. Haven't you looked upon her face? You call her Life. I am her Brother. To you I am Death. Come, be one with me." It is the mark of his maturity as a poet that Kydd is able to help the reader reconcile life with death, and accept our fate as human beings.

About the Author

Richard D. Kydd Jr. is a native New Yorker born and raised in Brooklyn. Kydd grew up with a love for the spoken word. It was after the tragedy of Sept.11, 2001, through the prodding of his family and friends that he gathered his many poems. He was finally encouraged to look into publishing his large body of work. This is the sixth book in his series. Kydd continues to write on the many varied subjects he is inspired by. Through his writing it is his hope that we inhabitants of Earth one day will come to realize how important each and every one of us is in God's grand design.

Kydd currently resides in the Williamsburg community of Brooklyn, with his lovely wife Erna and their children.