Rushi Vyas
A Habit of Writing by Helen Jacobs (Cuba Press, 2020), 60pp, $25; Social Media by Mary Macpherson (Cuba Press, 2019), 56pp, $25; Sinking Lessons by Philip Armstrong (Otago University Press, 2020), 54pp, $27.50
When you pick up Helen Jacobs’ A Habit of Writing, the first thing you’ll notice is the stunning, vivid cover, a detail from artwork by Julia van Helden. While I’m no art scholar or critic, the impressionistic sketch prompted me to stop and breathe in the colors—a fitting primer to Helen Jacobs’ meditative poems. Writing these poems as a 91-year-old environmental activist and former mayor of Eastbourne, Jacobs draws from life in a retirement village. While the title speaks to the ‘habit of writing’, the poems emerge from a habit of noticing, of paying close attention. These poems could only be written by someone with a deep practice of skilful observation, both of the physical world and the realm of thought. Many of Jacobs’ poems are short, capturing a small image from life as a retiree. Their simple diction but cleverly shaped syntax stilled me. I found myself drawn to re-read and, indeed, to slow down from my own wily mind. These poems carry within them a depth of metaphorical resonance and complex knowing. [Read more…]