4 out of 5 stars
A copy of this was provided free of charge from the publisher in return for an honest review.
I have only read one of Lysaght’s books before now, the excellent Eagle Country. So when he offered me a review copy of his new poetry collection, New Leaf I jumped at the opportunity. As I expected he focuses his poems on the natural world, in particular from his adopted place but there are poems from the wider world too.
With pencil strokes as light
as marks on sand
The subjects covered are broad, The Green man is a very different take on what I would expect from this character from folklore. Orchid Darkening is about saving seeds from these precious plants from the mower. GAVDIVM, The Tuscan Sketchbook is the longest in the book and conveys the intensity of the Italian countryside.
Every day now I visit
my own wood to see
how wildness structures space
I really enjoyed the variety in this collection. All the poems vary in length and style which I really liked. As I found with his non-fiction book, he has a razor-sharp eye for the detail that he sees as he travels, and this comes across in his poetry too. But with that is a lyrical power to fill the details of a scene in a sparse number of words. If you want a collection that is rooted in the natural world with a strong view of life flowing past then I can recommend this.
Three Favourite Poems
Seashore
An Opening
Light
You do so well with reading poetry, and this one sounds like it was right up your street!
I like reading poetry. I am not great at reviewing it!