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Capturing Clouds
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 2, 2014
I enjoyed so much about this book. To start with it is beautifully presented. I love the cover artwork and the title. But of course that is not enough reason to love the book. I enjoyed taking my time to savour the poems. The contrast in A Block from Punt Road between ‘the traffic worms pulse’ and the busy car choked scene with the ’winter wash of blue’ and ‘latticed branches litter the sky’ and ‘loquacious birds ‘is very effective. Add to this the mournful sound of the cello and the poem resonates with colour and sound.
I loved Dance Card with its pictures of autumn leaves. The simple illustration at the beginning of this poem is perfect, as are many of the other black and white illustrations scattered throughout. Sometime it was individual phrases and lines that caught my attention like ‘conversations pepper pockets of space’ in Sustenance.
The poems are visual and sensory with mostly interesting use of imagery. The picture of a child playing in Tools of Imagination is simply captured. The last Saturday in September gives the juxtaposition of a woman feeding the magpies in the park with that of the umpire and the footy grand final going on at the MCG. I chuckled over the wry humour about time in Attention Seeking and relished the visual feast of colour that included ‘the flame trees fire’ and the ‘Jacarandas bevy of bells’ in Grapefruit Butter. Basically I could have kept going taking phrases that appealed out of nearly every poem.
This is a joyous collection of poems, yet not without its reflective sad moments which I could associate with in Missing a Daughter. I loved the irony of the title poem as it pokes fun at business methods of the times, and brings attention back to what is important. For those who appreciate poetry this is an enjoyable and satisfying collection of poems.
I loved Dance Card with its pictures of autumn leaves. The simple illustration at the beginning of this poem is perfect, as are many of the other black and white illustrations scattered throughout. Sometime it was individual phrases and lines that caught my attention like ‘conversations pepper pockets of space’ in Sustenance.
The poems are visual and sensory with mostly interesting use of imagery. The picture of a child playing in Tools of Imagination is simply captured. The last Saturday in September gives the juxtaposition of a woman feeding the magpies in the park with that of the umpire and the footy grand final going on at the MCG. I chuckled over the wry humour about time in Attention Seeking and relished the visual feast of colour that included ‘the flame trees fire’ and the ‘Jacarandas bevy of bells’ in Grapefruit Butter. Basically I could have kept going taking phrases that appealed out of nearly every poem.
This is a joyous collection of poems, yet not without its reflective sad moments which I could associate with in Missing a Daughter. I loved the irony of the title poem as it pokes fun at business methods of the times, and brings attention back to what is important. For those who appreciate poetry this is an enjoyable and satisfying collection of poems.
May 12, 2014
There is much to enjoy in this debut poetry collection by Leigh Hay. Poems are grouped around five broad themes: waltz-swept seasons, sunny breaks, flurries of hope, silky filaments, and life-giving rains. As the names suggest, this is a largely upbeat anthology celebrating the simple pleasures of life. There are recollections of family and friends, narratives of interesting people, snapshots of travel, observations of everyday occurrences, expressions of faith and hope, and lots of coffee.
Hay employs vivid imagery, such as the eucalypts that are ‘strip-searched’ during a storm (p. 7) and the poem Fog Shadows in which ‘suspended droplets crowd / sardined in soupy space’ (p. 11). There is also good use of metaphor, with painting techniques describing the sky in the poem unstructured (p. 13), threads explaining friendship (‘You are my filament of friendship / tacking me to all that you are’, p. 46), and dance imagery capturing the falling autumn leaves right up until they’re ‘skewered by a callous stiletto’ (p. 15).
The poems are written in an accessible style, with many having a restful, thoughtful quality. Some are moving (e.g., the tears shed in Hanoi Easter and the heartfelt prayer of Irrigation), but there is also joy and wry humour. My Nut Brown Maiden is bound to raise a smile with churchgoers who wish they could dispose of unpleasant parishioners like the chooks that lose their heads for Sunday lunch. I also loved the satire in the title poem Capturing Clouds, which pulls the lid off the industries that spring up around the latest sure fire way to find meaning in life.
My only slight hesitation is that there is the occasional lapse into cliché (e.g., ‘cover of darkness’, ‘as push comes to shove’). Although this doesn’t occur often, it contrasts sharply with the beautiful, often inventive imagery portrayed elsewhere in the book. However, that is only a minor criticism. It’s an appealing collection as a whole.
The book is also nicely presented, with photography and illustrations throughout and an original watercolour painting by Yeşim M. Gözükara as the cover. It would make a lovely gift book for those who like to dip into poetry for relaxation and pleasure.
Hay employs vivid imagery, such as the eucalypts that are ‘strip-searched’ during a storm (p. 7) and the poem Fog Shadows in which ‘suspended droplets crowd / sardined in soupy space’ (p. 11). There is also good use of metaphor, with painting techniques describing the sky in the poem unstructured (p. 13), threads explaining friendship (‘You are my filament of friendship / tacking me to all that you are’, p. 46), and dance imagery capturing the falling autumn leaves right up until they’re ‘skewered by a callous stiletto’ (p. 15).
The poems are written in an accessible style, with many having a restful, thoughtful quality. Some are moving (e.g., the tears shed in Hanoi Easter and the heartfelt prayer of Irrigation), but there is also joy and wry humour. My Nut Brown Maiden is bound to raise a smile with churchgoers who wish they could dispose of unpleasant parishioners like the chooks that lose their heads for Sunday lunch. I also loved the satire in the title poem Capturing Clouds, which pulls the lid off the industries that spring up around the latest sure fire way to find meaning in life.
My only slight hesitation is that there is the occasional lapse into cliché (e.g., ‘cover of darkness’, ‘as push comes to shove’). Although this doesn’t occur often, it contrasts sharply with the beautiful, often inventive imagery portrayed elsewhere in the book. However, that is only a minor criticism. It’s an appealing collection as a whole.
The book is also nicely presented, with photography and illustrations throughout and an original watercolour painting by Yeşim M. Gözükara as the cover. It would make a lovely gift book for those who like to dip into poetry for relaxation and pleasure.
November 17, 2015
A fine collection of poems where so often, with a light flick of the poetic wrist, the established mood shifts - light to shadow, or dark to bright.
I particularly enjoyed Dance Card in this respect. A celebration of the autumnal elegance of nature is pierced by a heel. The innocent child-like delight of Watercolour Wondering was refreshing.
The eponymous Capturing Clouds, although very different from the other offerings in the book, was so much fun - combining sharp-eyed farce with biting social commentary. It seemed almost possible to sense the writer's glee moving through this thought-provoking piece.
I particularly enjoyed Dance Card in this respect. A celebration of the autumnal elegance of nature is pierced by a heel. The innocent child-like delight of Watercolour Wondering was refreshing.
The eponymous Capturing Clouds, although very different from the other offerings in the book, was so much fun - combining sharp-eyed farce with biting social commentary. It seemed almost possible to sense the writer's glee moving through this thought-provoking piece.
August 26, 2014
This first collection of Leigh Hay’s poems is tastefully illustrated by her partner David Hay, and published by Poetic Christi Press. The contents are divided into sections entitled Waltz-swept seasons, Sunny breaks, Flurries of hope, Silky filaments and Life-giving rain.
Hay creates lovely word pictures describing the seasons, the garden and its creatures. She also has reflections on the seasons of life, and on God’s blessings. Although written from a Christian worldview, only a few poems refer specifically to ‘religion’ and include interesting ones inspired by travels in China and Japan.
This collection is both warm and reassuring, but with sharp insight too, and enough surprises to guarantee it will be dust-free for the discerning reader.
Hay creates lovely word pictures describing the seasons, the garden and its creatures. She also has reflections on the seasons of life, and on God’s blessings. Although written from a Christian worldview, only a few poems refer specifically to ‘religion’ and include interesting ones inspired by travels in China and Japan.
This collection is both warm and reassuring, but with sharp insight too, and enough surprises to guarantee it will be dust-free for the discerning reader.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews