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Fur
Grace Wells' second collection of poems is a sustained meditation on our relationship with nature, with the flora and especially the fauna with which we share this "astonishing world." The poems are "awed by howl and answer-/ by whatever it is that longing does / when it meets itself in the woods." But if the relationship can be an enabling one, allowing the poet to go beyond the limits of herself, to put seal "skin onto her back" and walk out "into darkness," it is also one that our unthinking custodianship of the planet puts at risk. The poems of Fur do not see the animal realm as entirely other, as a place to view or visit. Indeed much of their strength derives from a refusal to acknowledge arbitrary boundaries. We encounter animals both as themselves and as symbols of some higher power. Against this transformative, redemptive power is woven a glimpsed narrative of emotional struggle and survival, of love and love lost; and a delicate balance is achieved.
102 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2015
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January 25, 2018
Wells was born in London but lives in Ireland and this collection was published by Dedalus Press, based in Dublin. It's split into five sections: The Cultured World, Animal Encounters, Being Human, Becoming Animal, and Cornucopia. In these poems the animal and human realms are intertwined, with animal encounters occurring literally and symbolically, often as a means to help express the human condition. Wells has such a great knowledge of and connection to nature which I admire and envy. Her writing is both serious and delicate, and even when I don't fully understand a line I can appreciate the beauty of her language. I did get a bit bristly when she dedicated one of her poems to Ted Hughes, but she has three gorgeous poems written for her daughter Holly and another girl of the same name who was murdered in 2002 which was such an astonishing connection to make and be able to write about.
One of my favourites from the collection is 'Pace', particularly the last few lines:
"Sometimes my need is
to lie down beneath the pines,
to curl, heart to earth.
Only the breath. Only fur."
One of my favourites from the collection is 'Pace', particularly the last few lines:
"Sometimes my need is
to lie down beneath the pines,
to curl, heart to earth.
Only the breath. Only fur."
Displaying 1 of 1 review