These Things Too Have Shape

by William Stratton

These poems are a journey. From one hill to another, from the world of the body to the world surrounding it, from birth to dancing to death. Here are creatures of the wild: birds and horses, dogs and deer, foxes and farmers. Here are stories told from a vanishing perspective, from the people and places which are increasingly hard to hear. From this place of suffering, of grit and struggle, poetry takes its shape. And through the transition to beauty and hope, we watch it finally take flight.

71 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 6, 2016

Reviews

[Nicholas Trandahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winter Goose Publishing continues to produce outstanding collections of contemporary poetry! I expected good things from that publishing house, and yet I wasn't prepared for what I would encounter when I read "These Things Too Have Shape" by William Stratton, his second collection of poetry published through WGP.
Right away, I could tell that I was reading something special with this collection. These poems are personal works pulled from the land and from the life of Stratton. His fondness for the outdoors, for the crisp open air and visceral things that comprise it, are evident. These are poems that resonate with my own soul, if such a thing exists. And Stratton, more than many other contemporary poets, writes works that I connect with on a deep, almost spiritual level.
The pieces are well-written and organic. The style, and gritty and rural subject material for that matter, very much reminded me of Raymond Carver. I also was several times reminded of Ernest Hemingway short stories. I would not be surprised at all if Stratton is a fan of both Carver and Hemingway. And, if you are a fan of either of those phenomenal literary legends, I would certainly pick up "These Things Too Have Shape" as quickly as possible. You will not be disappointed.