A Holding is, I believe, Beth Hartley's second full collection. Its poems portray, in plain, domestic detail, landscape and place and the power of the human spirit.
Drawing on the imagery of domestic life, and utilising plain spoken language, the poems come across as an exploration of home, both those in the past and those that offer shelter and comfort in the now. There is a sense of cosiness to much of the poetry, but Hartley is not afraid to tackle darker matters and the grief that sometimes accompanies them.
This is Night Mail from the collection, quoted in full:
I crawl back in and the duvet cradles me I am folded around
A Holding is, I believe, Beth Hartley's second full collection. Its poems portray, in plain, domestic detail, landscape and place and the power of the human spirit.
Drawing on the imagery of domestic life, and utilising plain spoken language, the poems come across as an exploration of home, both those in the past and those that offer shelter and comfort in the now. There is a sense of cosiness to much of the poetry, but Hartley is not afraid to tackle darker matters and the grief that sometimes accompanies them.
This is Night Mail from the collection, quoted in full:
I crawl back in and the duvet cradles me
I am folded around
curled in a den
a stone in a pocket
seed in a shell
My mind is
a dormouse curving
coiled into sleep
Cool air covers me
I am enveloped
and posted into the remaining night