How do we move forward after enormous loss? Perhaps like the lightning-struck tree, "half of it shorn of leaves the other half full, standing, / swaying...." In these beautiful, intimate poems spoken from the heart of grief, the speaker urges herself not to flinch, "letting the knife settle where it will, / blade nestled between a rib and a rib." Life and death go hand and hand here, and the natural world that consoles is also a constant reminder of our own mortality. Because Clark is a terrific poet, she can also make something true and moving "out of cold air...with lamenting words...an invigorating, heel-kicking tune."
From Knives On The Irish Air
Today, twice, from whispering leaves, a voice -
enough so I turned around...
This is my first time reading the poet. I really enjoyed this collection. I felt an emotion collection to the poems. The main theme running through this collection is loss. Loss can come in many shapes and forms and all of these are touched on in these haunting poems. Even though the poems deal with similar themes, they are all quite different. Clark's poems are rich, vivid and very emotional. The Canopy contains the kind of poems I enjoy the most. Every poem offered something new. My favourites were My Mother's Voice, Today a Snowstorm Caught Me Up and The End of Grief. I want to read more from this poet. I really enjoyed this collection and would highly recommend it.
