Count

by Valerie Martinez

Count is a powerful book-length poem that reckons with the heartbreaking reality of climate change. Forty-three sections of myth-gathering, flora and fauna, accounts of climate devastation, personal narratives, witnessing, references to works of eco-art, and evocations of children unfold over the course of the book, creating a deeply nuanced image of the current climate crisis. Central to this vital work of ecopoetry is the idea of counting—counting down to the extinction of a species, counting the wonders of the natural world, counting our way back to the balance that is required to save ourselves from climate destruction. Filled with a sense of grief and sorrow for the current state of the planet, Count also offers a glimmering hope that future generations will restore our damaged environment.

With sections that vary between poetry, science, Indigenous storytelling, numerical measurement, and narration, Valerie Martínez’s new work results in an epic panorama infused with the timely urgency of facing an apocalyptic future. This beautiful, tragic, and unusual poem is a testimonial, a warning, and a call to action that will captivate lovers of contemporary poetry and ecopoetry, environmentalists, and climate activists alike. Count skillfully calls on our collective desire to leave a livable world, filled with the potential for healing, as a legacy to the generations of children that come after us.

Genres: Poetry

64 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 2021

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

(1)poet, teacher, translator, playwright, librettist, collaborative artist

Reviews

[Camille Dungy]

Reading this book feels like looking at the photo album of a well-traveled, warm, and wise woman. In forty-three taut and tender poems, Martinez takes me around the world—to the Atacama desert, Baffin Island on the Arctic Archipelago, and the vast aspen groves of Utah—and all through time. She turns to websites and videos for news about the planet in one poem, and in another she shares the Wintun story of the first appearance of people on Earth. I learned things from these poems, not the least of which is how much empathy, concern, and attention a few couplets can contain.

Review published originally with Orion Magazine: https://orionmagazine.org/2021/09/ele...

[Patricia Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Day 1 of @SealeyChallenge 2023. Count by Valerie Martinez published by
@AZpress #TheSealeyChallenge

Poem 15 is exemplary of the book’s overall mission: the juxtaposition of modern life to nature’s path. The weaving of imagery creates a stunning portrait of how and why humans have become so immune to the call of the earth.

Some of my favorite moments:

the woman gave birth from the flesh of her calves, from which we are all descended.

How much does it weigh to be 25 years in the world at this fateful witnessing?

[Gabriel Noel · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC given by Edelweiss+ for Honest Review
3.5 stars
A lyrical look at the juxtaposing natures between the earth and humankind.
Martinez weaves a well written collection with imagery that entices the reader.
While some poems are overly verbose or clinical, the overall book will be easily enjoyed by most.