Earth’s Appetite October 1, 2013 By Collegeville Institute Margaret Hasse Nodin Press, 2013 Visit this title on the publisher's website » These poems reflect an astute awareness of associations across time. A beetle crossing a tennis court brings to mind an infant crawling across the floor–one who’s now asking for the keys to the family car. A jar of golden honey draws readers into the murmur of bees and the scent of basswood flowers. In Earth’s Appetite, Hasse offers a lyrical paean to re-roofing a house and a humorous description of how a dog and its unemployed owner spend a day. Her extended ode to feet, ”twin girls dressed alike,” possesses a Neruda-like simplicity and charm. The book shows Hasse’s longstanding mastery of striking imagery. ”Rung by rung down the ladder of my backbone,” she writes, and ”earth like a love tilts toward and away.” The book as a whole reminds us of the quirky ways that lives unfold, strengthening or breaking connections, offering unexpected turns and recurrent, familiar themes. Like this post? Subscribe to have new posts sent to you by email the same day they are posted.
