Constance : Poems

Rating:
Summary: "Constance" is a soft yet powerful collection of poetry.
Review: Jane Kenyon's "Constance" is a wonderful, breath-taking collection of poems. In it, Kenyon captures both the inner workings of the human mind and the intricacies of daily life. For example, the poem "Potato" is not just about a rotten potato thrown out to the compost heap; it also reveals some of the speaker's characteristics.

One of my favorite poems is "Not Writing" which captures the struggle of writer's block through the imagery of a wasp. Another powerful piece is "Having it Out with Melancholy" which reveals some of the struggles of chronic depression.

The poems all use the English language skillfully and beautifully, one example from "Peonies at Dusk" is: "I draw a blossom near, and bending close / search it as a woman searches / a loved one's face." Here the connection between a loved one's face and a peony is tightly drawn, ushering the reader into the speaker's world.

Although I have not read all of Kenyon's books yet, I have read "Let Evening Come" which is also an wonderful example of Kenyon's quiet strength with words.