Author Denise Low Reviews Estuaries

Posted on Jun 15, 2011

 

A Review of Estuaries: Poems by Jason Kirkey with pho­tog­raphy by James Liter

Review by: Denise Low, Kansas Poet Laureate 2007 – 2009. Author of: Words of a Prairie Alchemist and Thailand Journal

Poet Jason Kirkey teams with pho­tog­ra­pher James Liter to create a med­i­ta­tion on river land­scapes in Estuaries: Poems (Hiraeth Press, 2011). This acces­sible book has many moments of gen­uine tran­scen­dence. Kirkey opens the poem “Ravens through Cedar Trees” with the arresting descrip­tion: “Three ravens flying through  cedar trees/​ carry the morning on their back.” This is par­tic­ular and uni­versal at once — just at the edge of parable. He con­tinues with this arresting imagery: “The sound of their beating wings — Broad enough to write a sacred text /​ And deep enough for silence” These focused views, par­allel to the photographer’s lens, gives visual and sound dimen­sions to the sus­pended moment. “The Riverway” also uses sounds effec­tively — “The sound of the Riverway /​ through the water-​​mind, curves/​ riparian— rushes and willow shoots.” The rep­e­ti­tion of “R” and “SH” sounds mimic the river’s nat­ural sounds.

Selfless med­i­ta­tion informs the verse — focus is on the obser­va­tion, not the observer. The poet describes con­nec­tions between nature and con­scious­ness in direct, descrip­tive terms — without clev­er­ness nor games that return the gaze to the poet. The last sec­tion, “No Nature,” con­firms the under­lying align­ment with Buddhist prin­ci­ples. The poem “Buddhing” ends with the idea of side­step­ping the busi­ness of poetry to offer it, instead, back to nature: “still not writing it down, but shouting /​ our best poetry dis­solving in the sky.” Kirkey is at his best when he lets images carry the poems, like here, when the poem returns human actions to con­text of nature in the form of the sky. The guiding metaphor of the book, estu­aries — a place of min­gling salt and fresh water — is expressed here as the min­gling of human nature and non-​​human nature.

James Liter’s pho­tographs are amazing. Breathtaking. Stunning. He is a master of light, mist, water spray, colors, and com­po­si­tion. No person appears in any of them, yet each has a nar­ra­tive. Each is inti­mate and dra­matic. The text and images tandem to create a volume that offers a spir­i­tual retreat in the form of book-​​meditation.

 

Denise Low, Kansas Poet Laureate 2007 – 2009, has 20 books of poetry and essays, including Ghost Stories of the New West (Woodley), named one of the best Native American Books of 2010 by The Circle of Minneapolis. Other books are To the Stars (Mammoth/​Washburn University Center for Ks. Studies) and Words of a Prairie Alchemist (Ice Cube Press), both Kansas Notable Books; and Thailand Journal, a Kansas City Star notable book (Woodley). She is 2011 – 2012 Associated Writers and Writing Programs pres­i­dent of the board of direc­tors. Low has held teaching and admin­is­tra­tive posi­tions at Haskell Indian Nations University, the University of Kansas, and the University of Richmond. Her MFA is from Wichita State University and her PhD is from the University of Kansas.