Bending Home: Selected & New Poems 1967-1998
"There is a record/ here,/ a life," says Griffin in the opening lines of "Prayer for Continuation"?a statement that holds true for her entire collection in all its thematic splendor. This "record" is a celebration not only of feminism and femininity but, more importantly, of human nature. Griffin (Collected Poems, Copper Canyon 1998) combines eloquent rhythms, unique imagery, and internal rhymes to carry the speaker's voice from the page to the reader's ear. The talent displayed in the longer poems (e.g., "Deer Skull," "Knowledge of the Body," "The Love Poem," "Prayer for Continuation," and "To the Far Corners of the Fractured World") places Griffin among the best of her contemporaries. Unfortunately, the short poems seem like fragments to beef up the collection. Still, Griffin possesses a large vision of life?embracing motherhood, science, history, death, faith, doubt, and, above all, beauty?that is as admirable as it is ambitious. After finishing this collection, the reader will agree with Griffin that "Life, I have finally begun to realize,/ is real." Highly recommended for all libraries.?Tim Gavin, Episcopal Acad., Merion, PACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.