Tim,
In any gathering of poetic works Suzanne Doyle’s would stand out. These E chapbooks are truly incredible and with Davis, Watkins, Beaton and now Mezey, at least, to come, the collection will be truly awesome. But even in such an august assemblage the Doyle will be an extraordinary and valuable text.
It is truly superb; as has been noted by others, all the emotions are therein, taut and controlled- a joy to read and re-read. It is indeed a humbling experience to be exposed to such mastery of language- ‘Wild Lightening’, the poem from which the chapbook title takes its name, is as beautiful a poem about her nephew as Yeat’s was for his daughter, and ‘Migraine’ is such a skilful telling piece as almost to allow the reader to experience the dread intensity of the affliction.
There are eighteen poems in all expressing love, fear, hope, pain and joy with a technical virtuosity rarely found in such a small collation.
My one fear and reservation is that someday people are bound to look in awe at this whole collection of chapbooks, and when they’ve finished immersing themselves in its undoubted mastery, wonder how the heck I got in. Well, let them- they’ll have a hard job getting me out.
Jim
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