Looking back, the myriad events of a life seem woven of a single cloth, and likewise, each poem in this astonishing new collection is linked in some way to the others while also reflecting the human need to make sense of seemingly fragmentary experiences that, with the perspective of time, reveal a meaningful overall pattern. Joseph Campbell puts it this way in speaking of Schopenhauer: “Just as your dreams are composed by an aspect of yourself of which your consciousness is unaware, so, too, your whole life is composed by the will within you. …The whole thing gears together like one big symphony, with everything unconsciously structuring everything else.”
Some individual poems can be seen as a microcosm of this approach: autobiographical snippets intermixed with mythological or literary motifs. Others take the form of what Robert Bly called “leaping poetry,” seeming to jump from one topic to another while an unspoken idea emerges between the lines. They are meant to achieve their effect through associations that move between intersecting worlds, one image or thought evokes another-like montage, like our dreams.
From feeling as vulnerable as a crab after shedding its shell to the sudden pleasure, years later, of sweet morning birdsong, Sharon Whitehill brings reading pleasure akin to the surprise of finding a sapphire ring lost in the lining of an old coat. Each poem in her book is an oyster to be opened, experienced, savored: there’s a pearl to be found in each one.
Linda Hughes
A profound exploration of the human experience-Whitehill weaves together rich references on subjects as varied as myths from the Greeks, Navajo tales, and Scottish lore alongside allusions to Wordsworth, Hopkins, Shakespeare, Jung, Freud, Schubert, and Baryshnikov. In these pages, readers will find a resonant exploration of sorrow, renewal, and rejuvenation that invites them to reflect on the intricate pieces of their own lives. All this amidst the beauty of nature, music, and the cosmos.
Carol Drummond
Sharon Whitehill gives us new language to use in examining our lives. With language that requires thoughtful reading and contemplation, she eases us toward “the final unwinding.” A truly memorable collection of poetry.
Victoria Riley
A retired professor of English at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, Sharon Whitehill now lives and writes in Port Charlotte, Florida.