Robert Benefiel

I Wish You Were Never Born and Other Lullabies My Mother Taught Me Robert Benefiel

I Wish You Were Never Born And Other Lullabies My Mother Taught Me is a collection of poems from the author Robert Benefiel's earlier years, written between 1995-2000, and considered a part of his Black Notebook series. The pieces included under that grouping were a retyping of material ranging from notebooks, typewriter material, handwritten notes on the backs of everything from cocktail napkins and flyers, to early pieces saved on floppy discs, with all of them finally being transcribed in 2005. Many of the pieces included in I Wish You Were Never Born were never finalized with editing, or considered for publication back when they were originally written, due to the glut of work the author was already producing, and the excessive amount of moving around. That being said, he still amassed an impressive back catalog of material that may never be completely transposed. The pieces specifically included here essentially focus on the main principle of survival, whether it be through work or vice. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always trying to be honest, the poet's work in this book reminds us that many times in life one is simply trying to survive the world, and not be stripped of our humanity through the emotions and choices of ourselves and other people. It is by realizing this that one can start to retain their humanity even as one is continually having that humanity challenged whether by our dislike of others choices or by our own creations, creators, choices, and caretakers.