|
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011
In The Back Chamber, the twentieth book of poetry by former
U.S. Poet Laureate Donald Hall, iconic objects (a white
stone, garden bricks, a plaid picnic blanket) and poignant
imagery (lilacs purpling, a cow missing her cowbell) serve to
illustrate and render concrete the passage of time. While Hall
writes much about mortality in this collection, he does so
from all angles; when meditating on death, Hall's tone runs
the gamut of haunted, stricken, plaintive, and even humorous,
depending on the poem.
Hall's devoted readers will find comfort in familiar subject
matter—friendship, baseball, marriage, poetry, sex, and love
are all themes of The Back Chamber. Throughout the book,
Hall is a lively, wily narrator. Yet there is a shift in the series of
poems that end the collection; these poems are centered on
Hall's own mortality. In this group of poems, Hall reiterates
his age, while bringing into focus—even summoning—the
important figures of his past and present: lovers, beloved pets,
relatives, and friends. The Back Chamber is an affecting collection
by an enduring poet.
|
|
Larger Type