An Ethic

by Christina Davis

Christina Davis's An Ethic begins with the death of a loved one and proceeds to widen the gyre of that loss--as constructs of here and now, near and far, human and animal begin to fall away or be questioned. Compared by Forrest Gander to the works of George Oppen, this minimalist meditation looks back to the 19th century ideals of Muir, Thoreau and Whitman, and forward to a new unity.

Genres: Poetry

66 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 2013

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

The time and place of transition - how do we live in the shadow of eternity - while still trying to hold fast to our portion of the light. Christina Davis whispers these questions to us; forcing us to accept the fact that we all must accept the transitory nature of everything that defines our existence.

[Byram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm no sophisticate with poetry but, having the personality that I have, I can appreciate language and the structure of it. Davis' short collection is an equal opportunist for load and space, a model of concision and precision, but also of meaning that stretches far beyond the words. Often the poem has to be read two or three times, each stanza and line carefully dissected, as the meaning changes drastically when read in and out of context of the stanza as a whole. And when you see it for what it is, a reflection on our humanity, our stewardship and role in the natural world, a transcendentalist appreciator and redefiner, you see that the simplicity of the words belies a complexity of concept, much like the simplicity of our lives and our problems pales with the complexity of our universe. A quick read, if you want it to be. A beautiful and heavy-hearted read if you demand it to be.

Like I said, I'm no poetry sophisticate, but I believe in the personal experiences and relationships one has with art. This one struck me.

And in case you want a musical pairing, although perhaps better appreciated with as much sensory deprivation as possible, consider alongside John Luther Adams' "Become Ocean."

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my. Not my usual taste--I usually prefer my poetry colorful and thick and muddled with image and movement. This is sparse and beautiful. I usually go for the forest; this is the lone tree on the horizon in the desert. But it's absolutely stunning. I feel brilliantly moved to post snippets here, but I refuse to because I'd rather return to the book itself again and again.

[Tameca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this small book of poems.
...like really love. . . .

[Christina M Rau · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of stark minimalist poems, An Ethic creates sadness in its whitespace. The brevity of the poems allows for, and even calls for, immediate second and third re-readings. The drawback here is the brevity of the overall collection. With such minimalism, a longer journey would build more context. It's nice to know there's a publisher out there that would see the merits of this kind of poetry to see it through to print for the world to share.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of poems to come out this year, so far.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the brevity and openness of these poems. I was intrigued by the spacing but not blown away, wh seemed to be consistent with collection. Will have to re-read.