Incarnation

by Clare Pollard

The poems in Clare Pollard's fifth collection Incarnation are about our children and the stories that we tell them. Whether looking at the discourse around pregnancy, describing the pain of childbirth or thinking about surveillance at soft play, they blur the personal and political. Pinocchio, Hamelin, Alice and The Tiger who Came to Tea make appearances alongside biblical the ark, the whale's belly, the Moses basket in the rushes. There are poems for lost daughters - Amy Winehouse, Madeleine McCann, the victims of honour killings - and lost sons. There are also poems about innocence and responsibility which ask what it means to bring new human beings into this world, and how we shape them through our words.

Genres: Poetry

69 pages, Paperback

First published February 23, 2017

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't always loved Clare Pollard - but this is definitely my favourite book of hers so far. Some of the poems in this collection themed around becoming a parent for the first time are outstanding.

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first couple of poems in this collection were amazing and then I found myself getting bored as it went along. I do think there are some great ideas in here, and a couple of the poems left me stunned and with tears in my eyes.