The Silence of Green
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The Silence of Green
ISBN 0 9541573 5 4 |
We live in a world of constant noise, circumscribed by a world of utter silence - that of plants. The central theme of the twelve poems in the initial sequence is the unheard, complex processes of the green world, and how we relate to them.
The following thirty-two poems on individual plants - from yarrow and tumbleweed to aloe and rattan - give rise to a wide range of narratives and moods.
Some of the fourteen poems in the final section - Songs and Observations - are personal sketches, and some are on a wider canvas.
The collection has been widely praised. Dannie Abse found it 'a remarkable book, all of its sequences of a piece', while Anthony Thwaite admired its 'pertinacity of observation and clear lines'.
Seven poems from the collection follow: