This first collection of poetry from Halifax author Richard Norman is refreshingly diverse and consistently bracing. Norman pairs themes of subjectivity with scientific advancement, personal anecdote with ancient myth, and exotic geography with inner landscapes, resulting in poetry that is multifaceted and expansive. Many of the poems zig-zag their way towards an understanding then suggest slyly that this supposed knowledge is in some way induced or temporary. Recurring images of blood, water and light meld together and flush the reader through the veins of the book. Coming out the other side, the mind feels stretched to a new state of health, with a sharper perspective of the intricate fluctuations of the world. As “Ocean” closes, Norman reminds the reader of one such flux: “Each wave a smaller phrase/which the wind tries to decipher/This is our little island/which gains a little ground/between each dusk and dawn.”
