Ordinary Light

by Cynthia Sharp

Cynthia Sharp's collection begins with an invitation to accompany her on a journey of healing, even as we grapple with the very real threat of global ecological collapse. She explores with clear-eyed honesty the way we inherit from former generations both our strengths and the environmental degradation that threatens our very existence. Although there is real urgency in the present moment, Sharp's poems don't lead the reader into a mindset of panic and fear. Rather, she reflects on the lessons of the pandemic, how "we're all ordinary these days" and have been given an opportunity to slow down and witness the marvelous connections in creation and previously unimagined possibilities for healing ourselves and nature. In this simpler monk-like existence we can learn to breathe again, as do the lines of her poems. Sharp's attention to color, how she carefully notes hues and variations of shades and light, becomes a meditation in itself. Peach and pear are colors of morning in this "mysticism of color". Her poems often begin with a sense of domestic intimacy as in beginning the day by donning a "coral Italian silk blouse" with "pink petals" in her hair, a fitting garb for opening to "starlight/in royal blue skies", an expanding universe, and awareness of the sacredness of an individual life. There is a strong sense of feminine energy in these poems, and Sharp describes her relationship with her grandmother as a "communion of being". Right to the last poem there is the possibility of going through a "dreamtime" portal, acknowledging our own ephemeral condition with its aches and pains (both physical and existential) and being present to a higher frequency.

94 pages, Paperback

Published January 30, 2023

About the author

Cynthia resides on the west coast, where she enjoys the beauty of nature. Her poetry has appeared in many literary journals and been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net Anthology. A full member of The League of Canadian Poets and The Writers' Union of Canada, she had a wonderful time as the City of Richmond's 2019 Writer in Residence, as well as being one of the judges for the 2020 Pandora's Collective International Poetry Competition. She is the literary editor of Poetic Portions and the author of Ordinary Light, a first-prize winner in the SCWES Book Awards as well as in the International Impact Book Awards in Sustainability and Contemporary Poetry. She also wrote Rainforest in Russet, The Light Bearers in the Sand Dollar Graviton, and The Zen of Poetry, an updated re-release of How to Write Poetry. Her work is available from the Ingram catalogue in bookstores throughout the world and on Amazon.

Reviews

[Mike Mercer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!! Love your book already!!😁😻❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Julie Thomason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful collection that is certainly not ordinary. The delicious description of nature with the vibrant use of colour peppered throughout. Topics from the deeply personal and intimate to the universal - pandemic and climate change come under the poet’s powerful pen. At times light, other quite dark add a balance to the collection. I like the experimental use of page layout adding extra dimension. Rhythms flow but at time clash to draw our attention to the important. Phrases such as “saffron shades”, “webbing of lace bubbles” an amuse bouche to what awaits. A must read for fans of poetry and those who need some ways to express climate change to those who don’t get it.