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Things That Keep and Do Not Change (M&S $14.99)
Things That Keep and Do Not Change (M&S $14.99) is a book with a scary undercurrent. Tapping into fears and subconscious yearnings has been Susan Musgrave's trademark from her earliest work, Songs of the Sea Witch, where she found inspiration and direction in classical and aboriginal mythology. Now she is able to locate the mythic element anywhere, in a death, a ferry ride, a failed photographic expedition, even in reading someone's else's collected poems!
Poetry, for Musgrave, is a survival technique, a healing process, which involves giving not only shape, but also, at times, the finger to our violent and deviant imaginings. The book contains a fine poem about parental fears of harm to a child, as well as various touching elegies and tributes to friends. The title section, which will be recognizable to those familiar with her earlier work, focuses on male aggression, its rationalizations and consequences. This section, which derives much of its power from humour, satire, even whimsy, can cut to the quick, shifting from disembodied voices in pain to hilarious superstitious assertions.
"Praise,"; one of her most striking poems, is an ironic monologue by the daughter of a burned witch who sees all too clearly the link between sex and violence. It's a finely tuned poem, written in a flawlessly colloquial voice, and knitted together by variations on the verb "burn' which apply not only to the treatment of witches, but also to the extremes of male sexual desire. The burning mother's lemon-coloured scarf is recalled later in the poem when the speaker refers to the sour taste of a wedge of lemon between her teeth. Musgrave uses a figure of speech here-";as her voice carried high into the star-pitched sky";. It's not a felicitous choice, but is redeemed, more or less, by the deliberate internal rhyme and the highly charged context of the poem. 0-7710-6676-7;
[BCBW SUMMER 1999]
Poetry, for Musgrave, is a survival technique, a healing process, which involves giving not only shape, but also, at times, the finger to our violent and deviant imaginings. The book contains a fine poem about parental fears of harm to a child, as well as various touching elegies and tributes to friends. The title section, which will be recognizable to those familiar with her earlier work, focuses on male aggression, its rationalizations and consequences. This section, which derives much of its power from humour, satire, even whimsy, can cut to the quick, shifting from disembodied voices in pain to hilarious superstitious assertions.
"Praise,"; one of her most striking poems, is an ironic monologue by the daughter of a burned witch who sees all too clearly the link between sex and violence. It's a finely tuned poem, written in a flawlessly colloquial voice, and knitted together by variations on the verb "burn' which apply not only to the treatment of witches, but also to the extremes of male sexual desire. The burning mother's lemon-coloured scarf is recalled later in the poem when the speaker refers to the sour taste of a wedge of lemon between her teeth. Musgrave uses a figure of speech here-";as her voice carried high into the star-pitched sky";. It's not a felicitous choice, but is redeemed, more or less, by the deliberate internal rhyme and the highly charged context of the poem. 0-7710-6676-7;
[BCBW SUMMER 1999]
Submitted on July 9, 2003 in By David.
