A Strange Catechism Justen Ahren 9781483653938 Books
Download As PDF : A Strange Catechism Justen Ahren 9781483653938 Books
Every day she comes and stands, turning slowing, counterclockwise, in the parking lot. She holds in her arms a bundle of infant's clothes. She is praying, calling for her departed child to return to the nest of her body. In A Strange Catechism, Justen Ahren relates the story of a mother and her surviving son, as they journey through grief, lose and separation to a deeper understanding of how life is constructed out of what our 'fingers keep making in the air/ until dawn'- those fleeting things we long for, made real by our longing and our praying for them. "The poems in Justen Ahren's Strange Catechism are songs whose music exists to make beauty out of profound sadness. They are rhythmic, empathic, and polyphonic but behind each one is a voice who says hello to darkness and then sings to it-all the while wondering about 'golondrinas' and 'the hydrangeas' blue clouds' all the while wondering if 'the world without [him]/may be the real one" -Jennifer Tseng "This collection contains the voice of a poet whose work aches with beauty. The poems are characterized by the paradox of austerity as abundance and religious mystery as lucidity. In Justen Ahren's search for grace we find poetry of excellence" -Jennifer Clement
A Strange Catechism Justen Ahren 9781483653938 Books
Reading Justen Ahren’s A Strange Catechism is like following a sweet bird into a thicket, it’s insistent cry leading you further and further into deep woods. Through 'dawns and nights and days', you are taken towards the scene of terrible sorrow.A young boy grieves the loss of his mother as she grieves the loss of his stillborn brother. The mother wanders, 'kneading the air she put God in'. All the while, the boy follows her through the cold night, tends to her, searches for her. 'Night came with the limp shape of my mother in its arms.'
Through the branches we see 'the blue light of the chapel'. The titles of poems: Penance, Vespers, Vigil, and Communion. 'The mouth of the priest visits this morning, smudging the sky... They leave me a stark deformed heaven… I am with out strings without angels... '
A catechism of questions and answers, Ahren’s poems talk to one another, as one bird calls to another.' Can you hear me? Am I nothing?' Asks the son. 'What colour were his eyes?' The mother inquires. Gradually the dialogue grows quiet. 'Without my wild migrations you might find the yellow apron of a mother’s love.'
As a poet and a mother who has lost a son, there are few poetry collections that have moved me as much as this one. Ahren’s voice of integrity and sensitivity resonates through his words. They open a space of beauty on the edge of knowing and reveal, beyond the wild darkness and isolation of grief, a quiet garden of healing and grace.
Product details
|
Tags : A Strange Catechism [Justen Ahren] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Every day she comes and stands, turning slowing, counterclockwise, in the parking lot. She holds in her arms a bundle of infant's clothes. She is praying,Justen Ahren,A Strange Catechism,XLIBRIS,1483653935,General,Poetry,Poetry General,Poetry by individual poets
People also read other books :
- The Prison Wives Diary Upgraded Theresa Zollicoffer 9781521089866 Books
- LOVE LOSS AND SECRETS a gripping family saga edition by PATRICIA KEYSON Literature Fiction eBooks
- The Good Thief Guide to Venice Good Thief Mysteries Book 4 Unabridged (Audible Audio Edition) Chris Ewan Simon Vance Audible Studios Books
- Clinical Biochemistry Made Ridiculously Simple 3th third edition Text Only Stephen Goldberg Books
- Flower Phantoms eBook Ronald Fraser Mark Valentine
A Strange Catechism Justen Ahren 9781483653938 Books Reviews
Justen Ahren's deeply moving poems, suffused with longing, are reminiscent of meditations and prayers, most effectively conveyed through both titles and imagery. They fill "A Strange Catechism" with strong religious undercurrents. Although the poems deal with the powerful subjects of loss and abandonment, the poet's ability to call up emotions without waxing sentimental is nothing short of amazing. Here, a mother has lost a child, a child has 'lost' a mother. Particularly effective, is Ahren's understated approach, his economy of words and use of highly evocative imagery. He is honest, straightforward and often lyrical. These poems, well worth reading, will stay with me for a long time.
Beautiful words that comfort and inspire to a grace beyond grief. Highly recommend picking up a copy of Justen Ahren's "A Strange Catechism."
Justen Ahren's poetry stays with you long after you put the book down. A truly amazing voice, with insights that haunt.
This book of poems is a treasure, pure and simple, quite unlike anything I've ever read. There is something about this poetry that touches the reader in a new way. I wish I could explain it, but I am just happy to revel in the beauty and the magic of these words.
Ahren creates beauty out of haunting grief over the loss of a child. Not his child; these poems are more universal. "I won't die of this./I'll just go on walking in the numb past, missing you..." The woman in the parking lot turning counterclockwise in a circle could be any of us. "If I stop returning to your memory,/ stop filling this room with breath,/ you will vanish. From my arms,/ you will vanish. A language of leaves,/ a language of wings,/ then nothing will be left/ to lend me your shape."
The book traces a narrative arc; it follows the protagonist and a living son from initial shock and denial into a later life together/apart, as they reconcile living with their shared shadow. It's a beautiful book. Wonderful poems. Highly recommended.
This collection of poetry frames loss and pain so poignantly and yet so raw that the reader will feel the ache. It is especially pertinent if the reader suffered through the death of a loved one as a child, and dealt with the subsequent needs of a parent as they grieved and healed. But it is also hopeful. I recommend it for everyone, as we all experience grief at some point in life.
In Strange Catechism poet Justen Ahren takes us on a journey across the rugged landscape of grief with a clear voice that delivers poems of quiet intensity and grace. Vividly imagined and deeply empathetic these poems of love and loss offer both startling moments of beauty and stinging moments of recognition. Grief can be an isolating experience, but after reading this book I truly felt that Justen had taken my grief and made it his own. Soaring high above ordinary sentimentality this collection will offer both solace and insight to anyone overcoming loss.
Reading Justen Ahren’s A Strange Catechism is like following a sweet bird into a thicket, it’s insistent cry leading you further and further into deep woods. Through 'dawns and nights and days', you are taken towards the scene of terrible sorrow.
A young boy grieves the loss of his mother as she grieves the loss of his stillborn brother. The mother wanders, 'kneading the air she put God in'. All the while, the boy follows her through the cold night, tends to her, searches for her. 'Night came with the limp shape of my mother in its arms.'
Through the branches we see 'the blue light of the chapel'. The titles of poems Penance, Vespers, Vigil, and Communion. 'The mouth of the priest visits this morning, smudging the sky... They leave me a stark deformed heaven… I am with out strings without angels... '
A catechism of questions and answers, Ahren’s poems talk to one another, as one bird calls to another.' Can you hear me? Am I nothing?' Asks the son. 'What colour were his eyes?' The mother inquires. Gradually the dialogue grows quiet. 'Without my wild migrations you might find the yellow apron of a mother’s love.'
As a poet and a mother who has lost a son, there are few poetry collections that have moved me as much as this one. Ahren’s voice of integrity and sensitivity resonates through his words. They open a space of beauty on the edge of knowing and reveal, beyond the wild darkness and isolation of grief, a quiet garden of healing and grace.
0 Response to "⇒ Read Gratis A Strange Catechism Justen Ahren 9781483653938 Books"
Post a Comment