As if it matters

by Eamon Grennan

A collection of poems, including "Two Climbing," "Compass Reading," "Diagnosis," "Woman Holding a Balance," and "That Ocean"

Genres: Poetry

87 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Eamon Grennan is an Irish poet. He has lived in the United States, except for brief periods, since 1964. He was the Professor of English at Vassar College until his retirement in 2004.

Reviews

[Jazzlin Escovar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A loving reminder to pay attention to all the little ordinary things.

I had written a brief review on this book earlier, but I had to come back to do this collection justice. I loved every word of it. It was engaging from beginning to end and each poem helped me to focus my mind on living in a present moment. It captured the beauty of everyday life, an aspect we can easily forget if we are not careful, and it’s a kind reminder that it’s all about perspective. We can default to looking at ordinary things as boring, or take the time to find a different angle.

All in all, the free verse form was not too wild. To me it seemed to maintain a comfortable flow along the lines of “stream of consciousness.” Really it’s not the structure or form that attracted me to these pieces, it was the simple subject matter and laid back attitude of the poet. I have always believed that a poem should help one to see some aspect of the world in a new way — these works accomplished that for me time and time again.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

(making love) I can hear / in the world outside / the joyous contralto barking / of geese going over, going / south, widespread / across the sky--like a slung rosary. (21)

Out of the fog's white throat / come crows, a mass of black / muscle (29)