Drowning in Light
Another pandemic which has ravaged the world alongside Covid-19 for the last two years is loneliness. Lockdowns and social distancing have accelerated trends towards isolation that started well before Covid-19. Over the last two years, a choice to go out to a restaurant or movie theater has become a potentially life or death decision and so many folks have opted to stay home to enjoy the ease of a delivered meal and a streaming movie, often by themselves.
Words for the Dead
Lake Angela’s poetry collection, Words for the Dead, reminds me of the extraordinary sensory condition called synesthesia. “Some synesthetes,” according to the American Psychological Association, “taste shapes” or “perceive written digits, letters and words in color.” Angela sees pain in color, “composites of color” as she explains it and, in particular, the pain of losing a child which, I believe, to be the crux of this profound collection.
Coining a Wishing Tower
I have a bookmark with a quote on it from famed American author Octavia Butler that reads, “good stories are good stories, no matter how they’re categorized.” This is a necessary reminder that whether we are reading a poem, watching a TV show, or listening to an audiobook, we are looking for the same thing; a work that may help us forget the pain of our circumstances for a time, but also something that reminds and teaches us what it means to be human.
Here Lies A Father
Ian Daly, a 15-year-old boy, attends his father’s funeral on a Friday in a small, isolated town in New York. While it may be inappropriate to call the ordeal ordinary, given the context of a dead family member, it’s still an occurrence many folks find themselves in. It’s not that common, however, to find out that the father you knew all your life was nothing like the man you perceived him to be.
Darkness on the Face of the Deep
and greater significance. A jog in my neighborhood becomes a vital source of fresh air outside my home. A trip to the movies becomes a rare opportunity for shared experience and not just another night spent alone watching a screen. A beer at the bar with a friend seems like time spent on holy ground. The deeper meanings and the importance of life’s moments are not lost on Patrick T. Reardon in his new collection, Darkness on the Face of the Deep.
The Light We Cannot See
Irish-born poet Anne Casey presents us with a study in contrasts in her latest book, The Light We Cannot See (Salmon Poetry 2019). In the pandemic that has locked down Australia for most of the past two years, Casey reflects on the distortions of life as it is. In erudite lyrics, she comments on the present moment, then moves to timeless topics – sometimes in the same poem.