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To Catch A Poem: ...and other lines I walked
50 pages, Paperback
Published December 4, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 19, 2024
I found Ingrid Wilson’s poetry chapbook To Catch a Poem . . . and other lines I walked a remarkable achievement in lyrical poetry. These poems are personal, emotive, and very much in the Romantic tradition of Wordsworth, Keats, and Shelley. In fact, “Winter’s Margin” is a direct call-and-response, incorporating verbatim lines from Wordsworth and an allusion to William Blake’s Book of Thel.
One thing I greatly enjoy about Wilson’s poetry in general is that she uses rhyme and meter with such a deft hand, in a way that seems natural and not at all forced. Nor does she use rhyme for every poem--only when the subject matter calls for it. “Bannerdale,” for example, uses meter and rhyme to recreate the child’s perception of a June day spent walking the hills:
“Never looked the hills so wild
so wisely old, and I, a child
who little knows or cares to know,
by nature’s song beguiled.”
Connection to the land—and what that connection can mean as a way of living, a way of being—is a predominant theme in To Catch a Poem. It is a theme I strongly identified with as I read, even though the land I feel connected to is quite different from the landscape of To Catch a Poem.
In addition to finding childlike joy in nature, a strong connection to the land can provide solace from grief, as in “The Cairns which Mark Our Path”:
“Streams sing remembrances
brook, ghyll, and waterfall
sunset condolences:
silence falls over all.”
Romantic love with another person is a leitmotif throughout the chapbook, often juxtaposed with nature, as in the chapbook’s title poem:
“Helvellyn’s ridge is like your profile, sleeping,
the downy cottongrass soft, like your hair,
the hollow of your collarbone
is mirrored in the ice-carved combe;
though some miles far
I find you everywhere.”
On the other hand, these poems acknowledge that what is happening in the world is not all sweetness and light. (“We Crown the Wrong Thing King,” “If You Kill the Bird,” “A Few Pennies,” “Mardale Blue”)
For me, To Catch a Poem has an importance that transcends the simple enjoyment of reading the individual poems. It addresses the question of what is real, which has become part of our daily existence in the 21st century.
Simply put, direct experience of nature is real. Contrast the direct experience of a waterfall—the thundering of the water, the spray wetting your face—to a waterfall that has been digitized, Photoshopped, and shrunk to fit on a screen. Similarly, the experience of another human being is real, not a social media avatar or self-serving “influencer.”
Finally, I am heartened that To Catch a Poem serves as a testament to the value of the much-maligned literary canon. The insights in these poems harken back to the Romantic poets, but they couldn’t be more relevant for our current moment in time.
One thing I greatly enjoy about Wilson’s poetry in general is that she uses rhyme and meter with such a deft hand, in a way that seems natural and not at all forced. Nor does she use rhyme for every poem--only when the subject matter calls for it. “Bannerdale,” for example, uses meter and rhyme to recreate the child’s perception of a June day spent walking the hills:
“Never looked the hills so wild
so wisely old, and I, a child
who little knows or cares to know,
by nature’s song beguiled.”
Connection to the land—and what that connection can mean as a way of living, a way of being—is a predominant theme in To Catch a Poem. It is a theme I strongly identified with as I read, even though the land I feel connected to is quite different from the landscape of To Catch a Poem.
In addition to finding childlike joy in nature, a strong connection to the land can provide solace from grief, as in “The Cairns which Mark Our Path”:
“Streams sing remembrances
brook, ghyll, and waterfall
sunset condolences:
silence falls over all.”
Romantic love with another person is a leitmotif throughout the chapbook, often juxtaposed with nature, as in the chapbook’s title poem:
“Helvellyn’s ridge is like your profile, sleeping,
the downy cottongrass soft, like your hair,
the hollow of your collarbone
is mirrored in the ice-carved combe;
though some miles far
I find you everywhere.”
On the other hand, these poems acknowledge that what is happening in the world is not all sweetness and light. (“We Crown the Wrong Thing King,” “If You Kill the Bird,” “A Few Pennies,” “Mardale Blue”)
For me, To Catch a Poem has an importance that transcends the simple enjoyment of reading the individual poems. It addresses the question of what is real, which has become part of our daily existence in the 21st century.
Simply put, direct experience of nature is real. Contrast the direct experience of a waterfall—the thundering of the water, the spray wetting your face—to a waterfall that has been digitized, Photoshopped, and shrunk to fit on a screen. Similarly, the experience of another human being is real, not a social media avatar or self-serving “influencer.”
Finally, I am heartened that To Catch a Poem serves as a testament to the value of the much-maligned literary canon. The insights in these poems harken back to the Romantic poets, but they couldn’t be more relevant for our current moment in time.
December 11, 2023
Nothing grounds us more than recognizing that in all the world there is one
place that belongs to us and, more importantly, to which we belong. And I like
nothing more than to read about beautiful places and people who, more than
just inhabiting the place, the place inhabits them.
Reading once through the poems in To Catch A Poem ...and other lines I walked
by Ingrid Wilson incited in me the recognition that here was a poet who was
happy to tell me about this beautiful place where she lives.
In the book, the poet tells me that she goes crisscrossing the Northern
coast of England, her homeland, in search of "lines" of poetry and that these are
hidden in high places and wooded hollows. That nature is her place of worship,
and poetry her song of praise. I loved knowing this, and since purchasing the
print copy of the book, have reread it from start to finish several times.
Another very interesting point is that the poet composed the poems while out
walking or cycling in various locations close to her home. It tickles me to infer
that the mountains and places mentioned in the book have no idea of what
amazing natural wonders they are until a nature poet comes along and writes
stunning lines about them for all the world to read.
From the first poem that carries the book's title, To Catch a Poem, to the last
one, Crossing and Recrossing the Tyne, I was transported to beautiful landscapes--
testimonials of her gorgeous wooded hollows and I felt connected to those places
through her words. It's difficult to choose a favorite poem as each has memorable "lines" that I will treasure. But I will quote a few for you to get a feel:
Watershed: I know the name/of every mountain in these lands/lay my hands on
granite rock/and sphagnum moss/spongy lungs of this rich peaty earth/terrain I
cross/to walk the wind along the watershed/of Derwent and Eden,//
Bannerdale: Never was a green so green/as Bannerdale, that day in June./I walked
along, to find this song:/It is a merry Tune!/Never looked the hills so wild/so wisely
old, and I, a child//
How Quickly and How Slowly Pass the Years: How quickly and how slowly pass the
years:/the surf, rolling, roars in, the surge sucks sand/receding, washed with tidal
waves and tears./The children wait for summer; winter's thaw/that seemed to take
forever, melts the land./
This book has made me aware of the place I inhabit and call home and I'm happy
to be able to take sojourns into hers every time I read this lovely book--a five-star
rating from a very satisfied customer in Japan.
place that belongs to us and, more importantly, to which we belong. And I like
nothing more than to read about beautiful places and people who, more than
just inhabiting the place, the place inhabits them.
Reading once through the poems in To Catch A Poem ...and other lines I walked
by Ingrid Wilson incited in me the recognition that here was a poet who was
happy to tell me about this beautiful place where she lives.
In the book, the poet tells me that she goes crisscrossing the Northern
coast of England, her homeland, in search of "lines" of poetry and that these are
hidden in high places and wooded hollows. That nature is her place of worship,
and poetry her song of praise. I loved knowing this, and since purchasing the
print copy of the book, have reread it from start to finish several times.
Another very interesting point is that the poet composed the poems while out
walking or cycling in various locations close to her home. It tickles me to infer
that the mountains and places mentioned in the book have no idea of what
amazing natural wonders they are until a nature poet comes along and writes
stunning lines about them for all the world to read.
From the first poem that carries the book's title, To Catch a Poem, to the last
one, Crossing and Recrossing the Tyne, I was transported to beautiful landscapes--
testimonials of her gorgeous wooded hollows and I felt connected to those places
through her words. It's difficult to choose a favorite poem as each has memorable "lines" that I will treasure. But I will quote a few for you to get a feel:
Watershed: I know the name/of every mountain in these lands/lay my hands on
granite rock/and sphagnum moss/spongy lungs of this rich peaty earth/terrain I
cross/to walk the wind along the watershed/of Derwent and Eden,//
Bannerdale: Never was a green so green/as Bannerdale, that day in June./I walked
along, to find this song:/It is a merry Tune!/Never looked the hills so wild/so wisely
old, and I, a child//
How Quickly and How Slowly Pass the Years: How quickly and how slowly pass the
years:/the surf, rolling, roars in, the surge sucks sand/receding, washed with tidal
waves and tears./The children wait for summer; winter's thaw/that seemed to take
forever, melts the land./
This book has made me aware of the place I inhabit and call home and I'm happy
to be able to take sojourns into hers every time I read this lovely book--a five-star
rating from a very satisfied customer in Japan.
February 18, 2026
Whether reading about love, the seasons, rain, pennies, the sea, or other subjects presented in To Catch a Poem… and other lines I walked, you will be drawn into the highly observant and intelligent mindscape of the poet, Ingrid Wilson, who gently invites readers in with her descriptive scenes and scenarios. Moments and thoughts retold by a writer who doesn’t just write poetry; she is a poet – seeing and interpreting the subtle layers of living that many, in a rushed state of being, do not see. She is a gifted and patient poetic messenger whose words will inspire you to see the familiar in a new and creative way. I highly recommend this collection and find its publication size as a perfect traveling companion. Whether traveling near or far, Wilson’s poems are wonderful to have on hand, for a quick escape and reminder of the poetry that flows in and around us.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews