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Birds in Mind: Australian Nature Poems
Kingfishers and zebra finches, triggerplants and tiger snakes, sandcrabs and cabbage moths, wattle pods and waterlilies - all find a place in this collection of poems celebrating Australia's native and exotic flora and fauna. Birds in Mind brings together over 200 poems by own of Australia's finest nature poets, poems as varied in style and tone as they are in subject and theme, poems that will turn readers into nature and poetry lovers if they aren't already!
- GenresPoetry
224 pages, Paperback
First published November 2, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
June 20, 2012
FAR FROM HOME: Poems of faith, grief and gladness
Andrew Lansdown.
Wombat Books
This book contains such a wealth of stunning poems. Being a fan of Andrew Lansdown’s work over many years, some of the poems in this book are already familiar to me from other publications. Boat in particular is one of my favourites and one I have often used in poetry writing workshops to demonstrate how poem to can be constructed on more than one level. While it is about a boy going out to sea in a boat, it is also about the way the relationship between father and son changes as the boy grows older. Grief and I Do not Forget are poignant poems that will resonate with others.
Others present a fresh view in small imagistic poems that make the reader look at things differently. Haiku and tanka are two favourite forms Andrew Lansdown uses and he packs so much into so few lines. No-one writing in Australia, in my opinion, handles imagery as deftly as Lansdown. His poetry is exquisite.
Some of the other poems, in particular those about the prophet Elijah were new to me. They take the biblical story and give a fresh perspective to it. I was so engrossed in this new perspective on Elijah’s story that I was disappointed when I came to the end and found it had the left the reader at the point where Obadiah meets up with Elijah before his encounter with Ahab. I would have liked to keep reading more of Elijah’s story in this manner. Maybe that’s for another book.
For anyone not familiar with Lansdown's work this would be a good volume to acquaint them with the breadth of Landsown's poetry and the imagistic, lyrical and spiritual qualities always found in his poems. For those who already know his work this is another gem to add to their collection. He has always been able to convey his Christian faith and poetry in a way that even readers and poets who do not share his beliefs can recognise and appreciate the artistry and lyricism of his poetry.
The cover shows a replica of The Caravans— Gypsy Camp by Vincent Van Gogh; an appropriate image given that Lansdown himself is so obviously on a journey to his real home in heaven. Even his simplest imagist poems display his faith in a living creator who wants the best for His children. Like all the books produced by Wombat Books this book is beautifully presented – a delight to the eye as well as to the ear. After reading it initially, this book is one I have returned to time after time to dip into. DH
Andrew Lansdown.
Wombat Books
This book contains such a wealth of stunning poems. Being a fan of Andrew Lansdown’s work over many years, some of the poems in this book are already familiar to me from other publications. Boat in particular is one of my favourites and one I have often used in poetry writing workshops to demonstrate how poem to can be constructed on more than one level. While it is about a boy going out to sea in a boat, it is also about the way the relationship between father and son changes as the boy grows older. Grief and I Do not Forget are poignant poems that will resonate with others.
Others present a fresh view in small imagistic poems that make the reader look at things differently. Haiku and tanka are two favourite forms Andrew Lansdown uses and he packs so much into so few lines. No-one writing in Australia, in my opinion, handles imagery as deftly as Lansdown. His poetry is exquisite.
Some of the other poems, in particular those about the prophet Elijah were new to me. They take the biblical story and give a fresh perspective to it. I was so engrossed in this new perspective on Elijah’s story that I was disappointed when I came to the end and found it had the left the reader at the point where Obadiah meets up with Elijah before his encounter with Ahab. I would have liked to keep reading more of Elijah’s story in this manner. Maybe that’s for another book.
For anyone not familiar with Lansdown's work this would be a good volume to acquaint them with the breadth of Landsown's poetry and the imagistic, lyrical and spiritual qualities always found in his poems. For those who already know his work this is another gem to add to their collection. He has always been able to convey his Christian faith and poetry in a way that even readers and poets who do not share his beliefs can recognise and appreciate the artistry and lyricism of his poetry.
The cover shows a replica of The Caravans— Gypsy Camp by Vincent Van Gogh; an appropriate image given that Lansdown himself is so obviously on a journey to his real home in heaven. Even his simplest imagist poems display his faith in a living creator who wants the best for His children. Like all the books produced by Wombat Books this book is beautifully presented – a delight to the eye as well as to the ear. After reading it initially, this book is one I have returned to time after time to dip into. DH
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review