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Shakespeare Wrote Fast -- Judas's Kiss -- Peter Weeps -- Reading The Life Of Samuel Johnson By John Wain -- Mother And Daughter Lawrence Analysis -- I Think Joan Didion Has Died -- Wise [james] Boswell -- Wave Over Rock -- Brutal Pruning Of A Camellia Tree -- The Healing Of Hospitals -- A White Camellia -- A Skyful Of Stars -- Sputnik And Star -- To Rachel On Leaving -- Explaining The Structure Of The Mind To An Eleven Year Old -- Finding The Tiger Skeleton -- Aninals Do Go To Heaven -- Daughter Rescued By A Spider During Mass -- Instructions After A Music Lesson -- First Speech Lesson -- Behind The Mind Of A Good Cliché -- Waiting For The Next Line On A Beach -- Plots In A School Garden -- Miss Darwin And The Rosemary Bush -- A Weekend In The Country -- The Less One Talks In The Country The Better -- Nights Spent With Women -- Imaginary Life Of A Domestic Servant -- Commission From An Aunt Nun -- Elizabeth Bennet's Crossing Fields Coals Of Fire Trick -- A Costume From The Museum -- Shakespeare Virgins -- I've Had Any Number Of Gay Women Friends -- Male Poets With Small Handwriting -- Thoughts Of Living On A Plain -- The Own Country Of A Prophet -- Dinner With A Psychologist -- The Height Of The Bison -- The Vikings Wore Socks -- St. Paul's Kind Of Love -- A Quick Look Into Catullus -- The Chasteness Of Friends -- La Ligne Donnée -- Almost Too Much For A Poem. Elizabeth Smither.
This collection of poems explores the intersection of domestic observation, literary history, and the quiet complexities of human relationships. The speaker navigates a world defined by the interplay between the mundane and the intellectual, often using the lives of historical figures and literary icons as mirrors for personal experience. Through a series of vignettes, the work examines the constraints of social expectations, the passage of time, and the subtle shifts in perspective that occur within the intimacy of daily life. The narrative framework relies on a reflective, observational voice that moves fluidly between the personal and the academic.
Readers frequently highlight the author's ability to blend intellectual curiosity with a grounded, conversational tone. Discussion often centers on how the poems transform ordinary objects and historical trivia into meaningful reflections on the human condition. Critics note the collection's pacing, which mirrors the contemplative nature of the subject matter, allowing for moments of stillness between more active observations. The balance between character-driven vignettes and abstract thematic exploration provides a consistent experience for those interested in the intersection of literature and daily life.
Page Count:
61
Publication Date:
1984-01-01
Publisher:
Auckland University Press
ISBN-10:
0196480264
ISBN-13:
9780196480268
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