There are moments of mirth, humour and mindfulness in \u2018All Island No Sea\u2019, the third book of poems from Chris Campbell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With musings about family life, shifts in time and of identity, Chris\u2019 poems are considered and precise, with attention paid to sound, rhythm and form throughout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The poet\u2019s occasional use of rhyme to accentuate is effective, as shown in \u2018Umbrella Sunshine\u2019 with the strong opening couplet: \u2018Thump your wet, soiled fist, clenched with rain \/ through this thin windowpane\u2019, then rounded off with a perfect, bittersweet couplet: \u2018Gold fades like the garden honeysuckle. It drops, \/ taking all that\u2019s light with it.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indeed, tender moments of quiet observation are the subject of much of this work, often focusing upon the contrasts of life as boundaries shift, as shown in \u2018Picking Olives\u2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018I watch an elderly neighbour wilt, through our kitchen \/ window\u2019s frosted glass\u2019, the poem ends: \u2018I\u2019m viewing our lives from under our spot-\/light; planting olive pits and watching you grow \u2013 \/ our little one kicking; changing life as we know.\u2019 Again, the concluding rhyme serves to punctuate this poem beautifully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tone throughout All Island No Sea<\/em> is one of tenderness and poignancy, and often this is created through the simplest of descriptions, as in \u2018Yolk\u2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘6:30pm \/ and the sun sinks \/ below the dull \/ glass, the dirty brass \/ of the clock; it drips \/ now, like split yolk \/ all over the bed-\/side table.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n Set out to trickle down the page, the form encourages a staccato reading reminiscent of the ticking clock to which the poet refers. Combined with this bright orange egg-yolk image, this is a wonderful, small, sweet moment captured on the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a healthy dose of amusement in the form of resentment also depicted in this collection, which adds a dimension of reality to this book. My favourite poem of the collection \u2018Dear Alan, Alan, Alan\u2019 warmed me, with \u00a0darkly comic complaints about a neighbour (and his \u2018bastard\u2019 dog) which is delightfully entertaining and provides a real balance to this accessible, enjoyable and contemplative collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n