Burst Kisses On The Actual Wind
by Courtney Sina Meredith
There is a cliché that ‘we cannot judge a book by its cover’ and this overly well-worn phrase applies to this small, thin book. The all-black lettering on the all-blue outside further belies the content – and subsequent reader contentment – once the hardbacked covers are opened.
Meredith’s second collection of poetry is in fact an overflowing banquet, a tasty and sometimes tart smorgasbord of 54 delights crammed into a 68-page tableau. There is all manner of poem here, from ‘standard’ stanza spreads, through found poetry, to experimental and shaped versifications. The poet loves to phrase words in new fashion, so that sometimes we re-read what is written as to best glean the gist of a poem, although there are also pieces which are more straightforwardly digestible. Syncopated phrases, isolated words, missing articles, rhythmic repetition blend themselves into a novel recipe for writing, a va’a voyage to vā. The diverse and innovative visual array/display of the words on the pages – a feast for the eyes – is also a feature.
Meredith tends to pen her poems in a stream-of-consciousness, a form of diaristic catharsis, whereby she reflects deeply on her love life, her personal and sexual relationships, her whānau, the Auckland suburbs she lives in, her overseas travel, her debilitating illness, her heritage of being Samoa/Mangaia/Ireland/LGBTQ and the concomitant attitudes of others in the local community towards her. The symmetrically presented poem How about being a woman? is a cogent articulation of the latter; indeed, the entire collection is manifestly about and for Women. After all,
A woman controls her
own body
these days.
(from Mile End)
There is little lumpy/angry political ingredient here; Meredith is more subtle with her barbs penetrating both racial/cultural discriminations and sexist individuals – sometimes at the same time. Hers is a more inward-then-outward stance, a delving into and drawing out of both conscious memories and comingled subconsciousness.
There are some great lines here too. Take these from Household Gods.
Household Gods have gotten hold of the remote
We are forced to watch Survivor
With the volume as high as the ear will go.
And these from STOP SENDING POEMS.
My heart was in its cage eating lettuce
I had been fattening her up during a fairytale winter…
I started taking her to work in my handbag
Letting her nibble on memories under my desk.
As a final course, for me, the poetic apogee is the uncluttered and moving Grandpa Green Bananas, which I serve in full here.
It’s Grandpa’s birthday today
We Skype while he shows me his breakfast
The boiled ribcage of a small chicken
Animated on paper towels
His fingers work the nooks
Tearing flesh from cartilage
While his eyes fill with tears
While his eyes fill with tears
Simply stated and presented, yet so full of pathos. A treat indeed – one of many in this scopious repast.
Fa’afetai Courtney Sina Meredith.
by Courtney Sina Meredith
There is a cliché that ‘we cannot judge a book by its cover’ and this overly well-worn phrase applies to this small, thin book. The all-black lettering on the all-blue outside further belies the content – and subsequent reader contentment – once the hardbacked covers are opened.
Meredith’s second collection of poetry is in fact an overflowing banquet, a tasty and sometimes tart smorgasbord of 54 delights crammed into a 68-page tableau. There is all manner of poem here, from ‘standard’ stanza spreads, through found poetry, to experimental and shaped versifications. The poet loves to phrase words in new fashion, so that sometimes we re-read what is written as to best glean the gist of a poem, although there are also pieces which are more straightforwardly digestible. Syncopated phrases, isolated words, missing articles, rhythmic repetition blend themselves into a novel recipe for writing, a va’a voyage to vā. The diverse and innovative visual array/display of the words on the pages – a feast for the eyes – is also a feature.
Meredith tends to pen her poems in a stream-of-consciousness, a form of diaristic catharsis, whereby she reflects deeply on her love life, her personal and sexual relationships, her whānau, the Auckland suburbs she lives in, her overseas travel, her debilitating illness, her heritage of being Samoa/Mangaia/Ireland/LGBTQ and the concomitant attitudes of others in the local community towards her. The symmetrically presented poem How about being a woman? is a cogent articulation of the latter; indeed, the entire collection is manifestly about and for Women. After all,
A woman controls her
own body
these days.
(from Mile End)
There is little lumpy/angry political ingredient here; Meredith is more subtle with her barbs penetrating both racial/cultural discriminations and sexist individuals – sometimes at the same time. Hers is a more inward-then-outward stance, a delving into and drawing out of both conscious memories and comingled subconsciousness.
There are some great lines here too. Take these from Household Gods.
Household Gods have gotten hold of the remote
We are forced to watch Survivor
With the volume as high as the ear will go.
And these from STOP SENDING POEMS.
My heart was in its cage eating lettuce
I had been fattening her up during a fairytale winter…
I started taking her to work in my handbag
Letting her nibble on memories under my desk.
As a final course, for me, the poetic apogee is the uncluttered and moving Grandpa Green Bananas, which I serve in full here.
It’s Grandpa’s birthday today
We Skype while he shows me his breakfast
The boiled ribcage of a small chicken
Animated on paper towels
His fingers work the nooks
Tearing flesh from cartilage
While his eyes fill with tears
While his eyes fill with tears
Simply stated and presented, yet so full of pathos. A treat indeed – one of many in this scopious repast.
Fa’afetai Courtney Sina Meredith.
Review by Vaughan Rapatahana
Title: Burst Kisses On The Actual Wind
Author: Courtney Sina Meredith
Publisher: Beatnik Publishing
ISBN: 9780995118096
RRP: $30.00
Available: paper: bookshops
Author: Courtney Sina Meredith
Publisher: Beatnik Publishing
ISBN: 9780995118096
RRP: $30.00
Available: paper: bookshops
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