Poetry Feature: Six Poems
CMW is pleased to introduce readers to a group of new poems by award-winning Canadian poet Sarah Klassen, the “featured poet” of this issue. In these six poems Sarah explores the mystical possibilities indwelling in the moments of a life lived with full presence. Natural imagery evokes the prairie landscape of Winnipeg and its surroundings. In “Prairieology” the landscape becomes suffused with spiritual significance—offering, in the spirit of Emily Dickinson, a natural language for the divine that both grounds and replies to theology. “Rising” and “Deep Bay Reflection” suggest the poet’s awareness of the interconnection between all created things, evoking the tension between what we can and cannot see, as well as what we refuse to see. In “After the Fall” the poet is forced to remember her bodily limits as she skis after an accident—aware of the brain’s mad flights of fancy as well as its keen powers of observation. “Bird” invites the reader to meditate on the ways in which we invest birdsong with human longing. “On Poverty” challenges viewers to investigate their attitudes towards human nature. –A.H.
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Charity Gingerich
Dear Sarah Klassen,
I wanted to let you know what a great pleasure it was to read some of your new poems here at CMW. I was first introduced to your work when I picked up a copy of A Cappella, and especially love the poem "Russian Fables," which I shared with my own poetry classmates recently. It can be difficult, especially as a young poet, to find "appropriate remarks" when responding to the work of a seasoned poet. I've found it's best to speak from the heart: your work holds light, and seems to me beautiful and unpretentious and deeply spiritual. Thank you for these poems. I look forward to reading more of your work!