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Katherine Gallagher's latest collection, Acres of Light, is divided into five sections.
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I do admire her tremendous observational skills, and my favourite poems are those that capture a specific picture in an arresting way, as in "Turnabout" (18), wehre the person says:
My room is no longer itself,
the carpet an old painting worn
threadbare with being loooked at.
Again, in "The Mastery of Horses" (29) we see Gallagher's great gift for description.
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I feel, in this collection, Gallagher is at her best, when fixing on particulars [...].
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The poems in the final section of the book [...] are dedicated to her late brother, and I find therse to be the most accomplished and powerful.
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Acres of Light is a gentle, reflective collection but, for me, some of the poems are almost too gentle, perhaps not quite saying enough. This is not to, say, however, that I haven't enjoyed these poems - they have compassion, often a fine eye, and deep sincerity.
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