Plume: Poems (Pacific
Northwest Poetry Series) – Kathleen Flenniken
Poetry
80 pages
Footnotes / Endnotes: No
Illustrations: No
Suitable for eReaders: Yes
5 Stars
When I moved to Kennewick, Washington, a
few years ago, across the Columbia River from Richland (and the Hanford
Reservation), many of my friends faced visiting me with (mock, I hope)
trepidation. Some still express amazement (feigned, I'm sure) that I don't glow
in the dark.
Kathleen Flenniken's book glows. The
writing glows with lyrical, hauntingly musical, crystal clear phrases that tell
us what it was like, growing up in Richland where, as she says, all the fathers
disappeared into Hanford to make the bomb. As an adult, she worked there
herself for a few years, while her best friend Carolyn's father died of a
cancer directly attributable to his work at the Hanford nuclear facility. His
death wasn't the only one.
Flenniken talks about her childhood, the
trust, the lies, and Carolyn's father. Are we still hearing the same
lies, do we still have the same trust? Does it ever snow in July?
Ambitious, sweeping, and easily
accessible, Plume is worth the read. Several times.
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