Riverfall

by Simmons B. Buntin

From its beginning--with a body "ecstatic in the swirling / rhythm of itself"--to its closing--"the slow echo of stone chipping stone"-- Riverfall is a collection of poetry filled with the real and imagined geography within and around us.

The first section, A Body of Water, spans the Western hemisphere, from the trickle of a mountain stream to a series of eloquent letters by Charles Darwin to his sister, circa 1832.On the Orchard's Edge explores the brambly places at the edges of fields and mangrove swamps and startling memories. 
The book closes with The Last Harvest, a selection of beautiful, mythical, and often haunting reflections on place, and the places we can no longer attain.

Altogether, Riverfall possesses you like the archaeologist in "The Bone," where you'll find yourself "flowering / down while my blood runs to the river."

64 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2005

Reviews

[Eric Shaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riverfall is a refreshing collection of poems. My favorites were "Coyote" and "The Great American Chicken," but don't get the idea that these are all poems about animals. However, DO get the idea that these poems are all about the Earth and our relationship with our planet from a number of enchanting and surprising perspectives. I read the whole thing in one sitting, and I finished wanting more.