Dearly --poems by Margaret Atwood

 Publisher: Ecco (November 2,2021

Language: English

Paperback: 144 pages

ISBN: 978-63032507

5 Stars

 

 

I love Margaret Atwood’s poetry. Oh, maybe not every poem in a book, but I do not dislike any poems by her that I’ve read, and I have, and have read, all her poetry books. 

 

Ms Atwood’s poetry resonates with me, perhaps because we are of an age. I think, should we ever meet, we’d find we have our senses of humor in common.

 

The first poem is “Late Poems” and she had me with her opening lines, “These are the late poems. / Most poems are late / of course: too late,” This first section is about life, and what happens when that life ages, be it feline or blizzard.

 

“Health Class (1953)” had me laughing until I hurt. OMG, I could so relate to that poem. “Girls, girls, girls, girls, girls! / Simmer down! / This is not a three-ring circus!” Oh, but surely it was. What girl who suffered that class wasn’t positive she knew more than Teacher? There is an ode to “Frida Kahlo, San Miguel, Ash Wednesday” to be followed in a couple of pages by the 8 part poem, “Songs for Murdered Sisters.” 

 

There are pages of thought-provoking loveliness in this book, poems I read, stopped, read again, stopped again, and eventually turned the page. I have a love/hate relationship with the last poem, “Blackberries” for it conjured up memories of picking blackberries with my grandma who I miss terribly, and love so much. Good memories, of us picking the self-same fruits. And the lovely last lines, “Some berries occur in sun, / but they are smaller. / It’s as I always told you: / the best ones grow in shadow.”

 

Margaret Atwood is truly a national treasure in Canada. I find many delights in the fact Canada shares her with we in the south.