New Tracks, Night Falling

by Jeanne Murray Walker

"Anyone who can get through a newspaper," Jeanne Murray Walker says, "will find this book a piece of cake." Indeed, the poems in this book are strong but unpretentious pieces rich in meaning and feeling. 

The poems in  New Tracks, Night Falling  acknowledge that we are people driven and divided by fear. They talk about racism, war, loss, greed, alienation, our disregard of the earth, and our disregard of each other. Sometimes we feel like night is falling in the bright light of day. Yet we get glimpses of hope, of what could
In this dark time I want to make light bigger,
to toss it in the air like a pizza chef,
to stick my fists in, stretching it
till I can get both arms into radiance above the elbow
and spin it above us.

Hope continually threads its way through these poems. We hear its voice as Walker writes about choices -- both those we make and those beyond our making. 

And we feel hope rising like bread when Walker focuses on the gifts of potential, resolution, mercy, joy -- the new tracks that we can make in fresh snow, on old paths, along the roads more or less traveled. These are stays against the falling night. 

With a keen eye for both physical and emotional detail, Walker explores a journey that all of us are on, and she does so in a way that speaks to our deep fears and deeper joys, that engages and inspires. Tempering somber notes with more joyful ones, she reminds us of the good things, great and small, that are still possible in this world.

Genres: Poetry

86 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2009

About the author

Jeanne Murray Walker's poems and essays have appeared in seven books as well as many periodicals, including Poetry, The Georgia Review, American Poetry Review, Image, The Atlantic Monthly, and Best American Poetry. Among her awards are an NEA Fellowship, eight Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowships, and a Pew Fellowship in The Arts. She is Professor of English at The University of Delaware as well as a mentor in the Seattle Pacific University Low Residency MFA Program. In her spare time Jeanne gardens, cooks, and travels.

Reviews

[D. Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walker is a competent poet and she has a few flashes of genius and beauty in this collection. Overall, this book is worth reading.

Her metaphors are surprising, but often not true. For example, she describes snow on her flower pots as if they are wearing the white hats of surrender. But do white hats mean surrender? White flags, yes, but... you see what I mean.

Her poems are overly anecdotal. But that is how most poetry is right now. Because poets are afraid of claiming to know the truth (and many don't know the truth), they stick to the sensory and to their own experiences and feelings. This is good in part. It keeps them grounded, but they rarely get off the ground.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Be Storie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite poem from Walker's collection is 'Leaving the Planetarium'
Some others I enjoyed include:
- Adam's Choice
- So She Became an Ancestor of Jesus
- Laying Down the Stone
- Silent Night
- The Road South
- Foreknowledge
- Bell
- Perspective
- All Told

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consider as 4.5 stars.

An intelligent, quietly contemplative sort of faith. A different sort of verse than that which I typically read in a way. A good examination of life and loss.

I really love the voice of this poetry.

If I have one complaint, it is that the prose introduction was really not necessary and "cheapens" the experience of the book. I realize that it exists to make the collection more accessible to those who may not read as much poetry, but I really think any intelligent reader would understand without it. Also, at times, I feel that the collection is a bit uneven. Regardless, the highs outweigh the lows for me.

[JoAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://www.delawareonline.com/article...

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an absolutely gorgeous collection of poems. I'm eager to get my hands on more of Walker's work.