The Call Home by Susan Johnson

Publisher: Poetry Box (April 15, 2023

Language: English

Paperback: 42 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1956285345

5 Stars

 

 

I had the opportunity of hearing Susan Johnson read some poems from this book, and immediately ordered a copy. Usually, when I hear one or two poems from a book and then buy the book, I find those were the two poems I truly love, while the others are okay. As some of you may know, I have a nasty habit of dogearing the bottom corner of the page I love. For whatever reason I did not begin to do that while reading this book. I can honestly state my favorite poem in this book is all of them!

 

The poetry begins with “Along Scatter Creek” which begins with an epigraph of a Japanese Proverb, “The pebble in the brook secretly thinks itself a precious stone.” then goes into the poem, first line being: “And aren’t we each a pebble,” And with that first poem, first line, we are not only invited into these poems, we are expected to expand our lives, to partake of the non-calorie deserts brought to us.

 

Each poem in this book is a “precious stone” just waiting to be picked up, looked at with wonder and marvel at its beauty, then carefully put back in the creek to be found and marveled at a later date. Or put in your pocket to grace your dresser top.

 

The last poem, “Teach Me” is a call to Heron to teach Johnson, and each of us, the wonder he embodies, with the last line, “Teach me quiet consent to the call home.”

 

Johnson’s poetry is narrative, accessible, exquisite pictures painted with words.