Theologies of Terrain by Tim Conroy

I’ll get the obvious out of the way by remarking upon how difficult it must be to have a brother of the influence and stature of the novelist, Pat Conroy. The expectations must be weighty, and the bravery it takes to step forth into the light risky. Yet here shines poet Tim Conroy, introspective and singular, a witness to so much with the gift of deep introspection. This is what I love about this gem of a book: We all walk around grasping to summarize what we’re feeling, yet only the rarest of us can call it by name. Poets do it for us, and in Theologies of Terrain, Conroy takes a fleeting moment and turns it into story, considers the idea of self-identity and turns it into thoughts of the bigger question. The poems are personal, confident in their subtlety, insightful in their musings. There is nothing heavy-handed in these poems, which to me is the real gift, for every poem in this collection opens a door and invites the reader in to reflect upon their own life. During my second time through these poems, quite ridiculously, I searched for my favorite. No True Route had it for a minute, until Ring of Fire brought me to my knees then I realized that each of the poems in Theologies of Terrain works synergistically to lay bare the soul of poet Tim Conroy as a man of significant parts and means. I applaud Tim Conroy for gifting us with this beautiful assembly of words and look forward to his next collection.