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calling them for choral evensong
floating threads and drifts,
stray mauves and amber,
gleams of deep topaz."
Nicholson’s artistry with words is on full display in this stirring poetry compilation commemorating her memorable writing residency experience in Scotland’s Fair Isle. Her ability to convey a mood of complete calm aligns seamlessly with illustrations to lose oneself in, creating a meditative experience that revolves around nature’s gifts and delivering a heaven-on-earth type of sentiment.
Far from the tumult of city life, Nicholson uses her refined sense for detail to capture life unfolding on the island, almost in slow motion. Whether it is similes like “Memories circle like doves” or “starts coiling like a watch spring,” the work is filled with fresh similes that strike an instant connection with the reader. In another poem, Nicholson demonstrates her versatility by depicting a playful parlay between the moon and speaker, a game of hide-and-seek that features the moon taking cover behind Ward Hill, being tucked away, or finally taking shelter behind the clouds. Specifically, in “As the Sun Disappears,” the scintillating poetry that gives off a sense of alluring calm is only magnified by the forthcoming chaos that erupts from the fusion of colors, “purple and rose even magenta,” to fittingly describe the journey of the setting sun.
Though each poem experiences freedom from rigid poetic structure, helping it come alive for audiences, there is one constant throughout: the soaring birds, be they the fulmar or the skua, add another dimension to Nicholson’s vivid imagery. The culmination of her efforts results in a technically sound homage to the island life, resplendent with color and culture. Yet, even more so, it is Nicholson’s ability to tap into each of the five senses through the combination of poetry and illustration that gives rise to an unforgettable excursion into what makes nature so mesmerizing.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review