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Drifting
Welcome to Drifting, the third book in The Water Trilogy! Written by Canadian poet, PJ Thomas, Drifting
follows on the successes of the first two books in the trilogy; Waves and Undertow. Drifting explores the fluid sensuality of nature, our interpersonal connectedness, and what the human heart can mean to us. Themes of various types of love, the local geography and mystic nature seep into the flowing words of Drifting. We hear of the stars and cosmos, delight in bodies of water, and the miniscule and immense moments of togetherness we may feel, wrapped up in a message of; love is love. The poems are lush in imagery, calling on Thomas's experience in the Kawartha Lakes area of Ontario, Canada, and her lifelong fascination with the sky.
Paperback, 116 pages, full-colour cover matte finish, b&w interior.
follows on the successes of the first two books in the trilogy; Waves and Undertow. Drifting explores the fluid sensuality of nature, our interpersonal connectedness, and what the human heart can mean to us. Themes of various types of love, the local geography and mystic nature seep into the flowing words of Drifting. We hear of the stars and cosmos, delight in bodies of water, and the miniscule and immense moments of togetherness we may feel, wrapped up in a message of; love is love. The poems are lush in imagery, calling on Thomas's experience in the Kawartha Lakes area of Ontario, Canada, and her lifelong fascination with the sky.
Paperback, 116 pages, full-colour cover matte finish, b&w interior.
116 pages, Paperback
Published May 23, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 18, 2024
Having read the first two poetry collections (Undertow and Waves), there was no way I was going to miss the third in this series, the final book in the Water Trilogy - Drifting,
I have come to associate the author with deeply contemplative poems about nature, friendship, love and connection. In Drifting, she continues to address these themes, with an emphasis on the many varied aspects of love, be it romantic and intimate, platonic or altruistic, of people and of nature.
As always, she delights the reader with beautiful turns of phrase, lovely imagery, and wistful musings. Some of my favourites include:
- All I Have: ‘…I am the extremes,/and you are the nuances/of subtle things in between’
- This Place: ‘I watch the swirling river at night/with the bridge lights shining/down on black water./The willows by the banks/trail their thin fingers/in the stream./Let go of your dreams for one night/and follow me’
- Dance In the Winds of Change: ‘…I have finally learned to move peaceably/between the shards of shattered expectations’
- Where the River Meets the Lake: ‘…cicadas and crickets rule the evenings,/I think of sandpipers on beaches/ringing their whistled calls./We are all in symphony,/running in tandem,/all cause-and-effect/with the ebb and flow/of our energies wrought by sunlight.’
- Bouillabaisse: ‘I still swim in brine with my eyes wide open,/hoping for dolphins/and other intelligent beings of the deeps/to seep into my dreams/and guide me, gliding/down to the sea beds of mystery.’
In ‘Away’, the deeply moving poem that gives us the title of the collection, the poet muses on parting and separation, and asks about departed loved ones: ‘Or are they all wind and water/drifting?’
Perhaps, in the end, we all drift, freed by age from human convention to enjoy unapologetically the beauty of the unseen, the siren song of love that drifts up from the depths to hang, weightless and shimmering in the air, so that poets might spin webs of words to show that our heartbreak and salt tears come from separation - from one another, from Nature, from the sea.
The cycle of Life never stops and we must all drift, together and apart, upon the tides of Time. The author seems to be saying: We might as well hold each other’s hands while we do so.
I have come to associate the author with deeply contemplative poems about nature, friendship, love and connection. In Drifting, she continues to address these themes, with an emphasis on the many varied aspects of love, be it romantic and intimate, platonic or altruistic, of people and of nature.
As always, she delights the reader with beautiful turns of phrase, lovely imagery, and wistful musings. Some of my favourites include:
- All I Have: ‘…I am the extremes,/and you are the nuances/of subtle things in between’
- This Place: ‘I watch the swirling river at night/with the bridge lights shining/down on black water./The willows by the banks/trail their thin fingers/in the stream./Let go of your dreams for one night/and follow me’
- Dance In the Winds of Change: ‘…I have finally learned to move peaceably/between the shards of shattered expectations’
- Where the River Meets the Lake: ‘…cicadas and crickets rule the evenings,/I think of sandpipers on beaches/ringing their whistled calls./We are all in symphony,/running in tandem,/all cause-and-effect/with the ebb and flow/of our energies wrought by sunlight.’
- Bouillabaisse: ‘I still swim in brine with my eyes wide open,/hoping for dolphins/and other intelligent beings of the deeps/to seep into my dreams/and guide me, gliding/down to the sea beds of mystery.’
In ‘Away’, the deeply moving poem that gives us the title of the collection, the poet muses on parting and separation, and asks about departed loved ones: ‘Or are they all wind and water/drifting?’
Perhaps, in the end, we all drift, freed by age from human convention to enjoy unapologetically the beauty of the unseen, the siren song of love that drifts up from the depths to hang, weightless and shimmering in the air, so that poets might spin webs of words to show that our heartbreak and salt tears come from separation - from one another, from Nature, from the sea.
The cycle of Life never stops and we must all drift, together and apart, upon the tides of Time. The author seems to be saying: We might as well hold each other’s hands while we do so.
October 30, 2024
Drifting is the third book of poems in PJ Thomas’s Water Trilogy, although it can certainly be read as a standalone volume.
Drifting could be viewed as a little daunting, containing just under one hundred poems, but it’s effortlessly readable and accessible. Thomas’s poetry is poised, relatable, and emotionally resonant; there is no pomposity or cryptic language here.
The poems flow with immediacy, although deceptively well-crafted and considered, words appear to fall from Thomas in a fluid, organic manner that perfectly suits the liquid analogy of this collection.
Overall, but not exclusively, they deal with love in all its permutations and stages. The poems are reflective, almost hesitant in places, although they’re intricately layered with every surface and subtext of emotive connotation and nuanced allusion. She is especially good when writing about the electric, often obsessive quality of the early stages of an attraction.
Thomas uses the rhythms of nature, especially diurnal/nocturnal cycles to illustrate, enhance, or provide metaphorical reference to the feelings she expresses. Emotions that, often, are simply too intense or complex to be baldly articulated. The Line of the Horizon and The Start of a Simple Day are perfect examples that use the cadence of an early morning routine to represent sentiment.
The juxtaposition of celebration, mourning, and regret within the sphere of love are primary drivers of her poems in this book. In one of the later verses, Forever, she states, “Why do love and death / so often hold hands?” and many of the poems explore this symbiotic relationship in both its metaphysical and literal meaning. The Cards We’re Dealt is one of the earlier poems to showcase this dynamic.
Several poems are shot through with the tang of bitter futility pertaining either to love or life itself. Although these poems contain a deep well of affecting sadness, there runs through them all a tentative thread of fateful acceptance, a relinquishment that adheres to the natural or higher order of things, and which eventually affords some element of catharsis. Consequently, they are not depressing to read but, instead, gently reassuring.
Further, there is a clear, strong sense of who Thomas is as a poet. Her voice carries confidently through her work, drawing the reader in. Relatively few verses fully line rhyme but they scan with smooth confidence and an easy, readability.
Thomas has kept the structure neat with eye/half rhymes, hooks, gentle lyricism, and some lovely little flourishes. “Just the rain / typing on the drainpipe” was a wonderfully inventive phrase from Fall into Tomorrow. Further, “…the shameful and shining / things I have done” from If is mesmerizingly good, in its pure honest simplicity and clever use of alliterative form.
Despite the fundamental profundity and tender poignancy of her work, there is a subtle, self-aware amusement and wry observation that sporadically bubbles through. Man About Town demonstrates this, as does I Love Him More, and New Love is jaunty with humor albeit brushed with a touch of cynicism.
Drifting is a beautifully crafted, polished, and powerful volume, awash with sensuous rhythms and sparkling with emotive insight. Highly recommended.
Drifting could be viewed as a little daunting, containing just under one hundred poems, but it’s effortlessly readable and accessible. Thomas’s poetry is poised, relatable, and emotionally resonant; there is no pomposity or cryptic language here.
The poems flow with immediacy, although deceptively well-crafted and considered, words appear to fall from Thomas in a fluid, organic manner that perfectly suits the liquid analogy of this collection.
Overall, but not exclusively, they deal with love in all its permutations and stages. The poems are reflective, almost hesitant in places, although they’re intricately layered with every surface and subtext of emotive connotation and nuanced allusion. She is especially good when writing about the electric, often obsessive quality of the early stages of an attraction.
Thomas uses the rhythms of nature, especially diurnal/nocturnal cycles to illustrate, enhance, or provide metaphorical reference to the feelings she expresses. Emotions that, often, are simply too intense or complex to be baldly articulated. The Line of the Horizon and The Start of a Simple Day are perfect examples that use the cadence of an early morning routine to represent sentiment.
The juxtaposition of celebration, mourning, and regret within the sphere of love are primary drivers of her poems in this book. In one of the later verses, Forever, she states, “Why do love and death / so often hold hands?” and many of the poems explore this symbiotic relationship in both its metaphysical and literal meaning. The Cards We’re Dealt is one of the earlier poems to showcase this dynamic.
Several poems are shot through with the tang of bitter futility pertaining either to love or life itself. Although these poems contain a deep well of affecting sadness, there runs through them all a tentative thread of fateful acceptance, a relinquishment that adheres to the natural or higher order of things, and which eventually affords some element of catharsis. Consequently, they are not depressing to read but, instead, gently reassuring.
Further, there is a clear, strong sense of who Thomas is as a poet. Her voice carries confidently through her work, drawing the reader in. Relatively few verses fully line rhyme but they scan with smooth confidence and an easy, readability.
Thomas has kept the structure neat with eye/half rhymes, hooks, gentle lyricism, and some lovely little flourishes. “Just the rain / typing on the drainpipe” was a wonderfully inventive phrase from Fall into Tomorrow. Further, “…the shameful and shining / things I have done” from If is mesmerizingly good, in its pure honest simplicity and clever use of alliterative form.
Despite the fundamental profundity and tender poignancy of her work, there is a subtle, self-aware amusement and wry observation that sporadically bubbles through. Man About Town demonstrates this, as does I Love Him More, and New Love is jaunty with humor albeit brushed with a touch of cynicism.
Drifting is a beautifully crafted, polished, and powerful volume, awash with sensuous rhythms and sparkling with emotive insight. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews