\Cool Gardens,"" Serj Tankian's collection of poetry, announces itself with a bullhorn and keeps yelling long after the introduction finishes. It consists of strange fables and bare-knuckled rants directed at ""globalistic economic totalitarianism."" Focusing on the problems of capitalism and hypocrisy of government, Tankian, the lead singer of System of a Down, writes with scathing metaphors and a screaming voice. He shouts his way through 90 pages with accusations and anger drawn from a the acid of his gut-level observations.
That acidic tone works for most of ""Cool Gardens"" but scours some poems while boiling away others. Any piece that uses natural imagery consumes itself in the brine of Tankian's words. ""Her Eye"" and ""Touche"" rely on ""a picture before dusk"" and ""silky bird limbs and legs"" but spoil those scenes with a recognition of unfulfilled wishes. Though they are momentarily pleasing, these images show the fault of invoking pastoral scenes in a collection of poetry that rages more than it relaxes. It seems like the natural imagery was inspired by grass in the cracks of the sidewalk.
The best example of spoiled moments of brilliance comes early on. First the poem ""Businessman vs. Homeless"" sets up a striking comparison between a man in a suit and another in rags. With grace, insight and brilliance the businessman is deconstructed and the homeless person is cleansed. On the facing page, the Rimbaudesque ""A Metaphor?"" unwinds the mood of its predecessor. ""A Metaphor?"" uses bawdy language and uneven development to indicate that the short poem is not a metaphor; it is just plain disgusting.
