Skies of Blur

by Elijah Burrell

Skies of Blur , the third and latest collection by critically acclaimed poet Elijah Burrell, navigates the depths of human connection and disconnection, love and loss, and the spaces between. Burrell breathes life into every line, crafting a world both familiar and entirely new. While guiding us quietly between the realms of the natural and supernatural, these poems remind us of the chaos and uncertainty of modern life. Through metaphors of spinning plates and broken umbrellas, Burrell captures the delicate balance we all strive to maintain and the challenges we face in a seemingly incurable world. This blurring world demands we pay attention and stay vigilant at all costs. Burrell's poems deal with the struggle between our past and present selves. As only miracles and poems can, Skies of Blur brings the dead back to life and awakens memories of days long gone. Throughout the collection, Burrell introduces us to a cast of unforgettable characters, like Mr. Night, the bull who inexplicably materializes, speaks, and serves as both adversary and ally. As the collection progresses, Mr. Night engages in a series of surreal encounters, challenging the reader to question the nature of identity and the boundaries between our inner and outer worlds. In other poems, Burrell showcases an uncommon ability to infuse absurd narratives with tragedy and joy, as when a man longing for connection steals a horn shark from a local aquarium. This collection proclaims that each of us strays into unknowable places. Wildflowers will fall from our gaping wounds. We may never know our multitudinous selves, or we might meet them to destroy them. Prepare to be moved and challenged as you look up into the deep, dark Skies of Blur .

Genres: Poetry

74 pages, Paperback

Published January 23, 2024

About the author

Elijah Burrell is the author of three collections of poetry: Skies of Blur (EastOver Press, 2024), TROUBLER (Aldrich Press, 2018), and The Skin of the River (Aldrich Press, 2014). His writing has appeared in publications such as AGNI, The Hopkins Review, North American Review, Southwest Review, The Rumpus, Sugar House Review, Measure, and many others. Burrell received the 2010 Jane Kenyon Scholarship at Bennington College, where he earned his MFA in Writing and Literature at Bennington’s Writing Seminars. In 2012 Burrell joined the faculty of Lincoln University, where he serves as Professor of English.

Reviews

[Taylor Franson-Thiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. Had a few super bright moments but also one too many cliched moments for me to fully buy into the collection as a whole.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, full of emotion!

[Jenny Marie Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elijah Burrell’s Skies of Blur moves through life’s mysteriously clouded moments, shedding light on the intricate weave of loss, relationships, and the enigmatic forces that guide us. Much like in “Doing My Best to Listen,” “Even the Best Records Have Gaps Between Tracks,” and “Midlife” where I navigate the sounds and silences of life, Burrell’s collection offers a similar reflection – an exploration of what remains unsaid, unseen, and unresolved, leaving readers to contemplate the subtle complexities that linger beneath the surface. His poetry invites us to lean in, to sift through the murkiness of life’s profound moments, offering clarity within the mystery. As someone studying writing, I found immense value in Burrell’s masterful use of imagery, like in the poem “Do Not Drive into Smoke” — “Smell transfigures to sound, / and the little symphonies from childhood / synesthesia through my mind—the girl-group / tunes from the sixties. Sometimes there’d be / a tambourine on the final snare, / and today the reverb calling back / these things—the red house over yonder.”