Poems about our children and the stories that we tell them. Whether looking at the discourse around pregnancy, describing the pain of childbirth, or thinking about surveillance at soft play, they blur the personal and political. There are also poems about innocence and responsibility which ask what it means to bring new human beings into this world, and how we shape them through our words.
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[The Dead Sea's senseless brine spits me back up / The dry dawn brings mosaics of crocodiles / lamb-fat and waspy figs and chariot ruts / and gargled smoke and broken citadels]***
(Bloodaxe Books, 28 May 2017, bought from Amazon)
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Clare Pollard is my idol. I've been a fan of her for years.
Incarnation is a fantastic collection of poems. I loved every one. I haven't read one of her collections for a few years. Incarnation made me realise why she's been one of my favourite poets for years.
My top poems are: The Last Poem of Rabia Balkhi, Written in Blood on Her Bathroom Walls After Her Veins Were Cut by Her Brother, The Day Amy Died, Ghazal of the Rose, Lullaby over a Moses Basket, Soft Play, 23 Mindblowing Truths You Didn't Know About the Princess and Lines after Rabi-ah Al-Basri.
I enjoyed the fact that even though some of the poems shared similar themes they were all very different.
Incarnation is a great collection of rich, vivid, vibrant and unforgettable poems. I loved it.
