Ebbs and Floods

by Jane Paul

Ebbs & floods' was written in a small surfing town on the west coast of Ireland; in a Paris basement in spring; in the depths of Brussels nights; and in Aotearoa, always close to the sea. Jane Paul's debut collection of poems follow her through the waves of being in her late twenties. These poems are a warm blue evening; the smell of rain; a driftwood fire burning on the shore. They are the pull of waves and the shattering of glass. They are a moment standing in moonlight; cold stone under your feet; rain hitting bare skin; face lifted to the sky. They are a room full of lovers and an empty house with the lights left on. They are grounded, like pushing your hands into earth.

Turning tides
Pressed palms
Golden hours
Like water in bath
Omen
We are so still
Tapping on glass
Two baths
To measure herself in teaspoons
Remedies
Grinding teeth
Yew daughter
Swans
I don't think about dying, anymore
The pulls
Before they cut down the trees of this place
When the tide comes
Drown & dry
The observer
Hold on to those days
Refracting bodies
The collapse
Mammalian instincts
The tension is split

168 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 2022

About the author

Jane Paul is an Aotearoa New Zealand poet, actress and teacher, of Irish descent. She was born in 1993 in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. Ebbs & Floods is her first book.

Reviews

[Bayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The structure of this book is beautiful - I loved some of the poems, with a specific amount of parts being slightly cliché. The writing was relatively innovative, yet still raw and exciting. As far as poetry goes, it is accessible, beautifully bound and created and very personal.