Black Bough Poetry Christmas & Winter Edition,
Volume 2 by Black Bough Poetry

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Review by Dana Knott

Audre Lorde spoke of “poetry as the revelation or distillation of experience,” and Gwendolyn Brooks believed “Poetry is life distilled.” Distillation purifies; successful micro poems reveal the essence of a thing, an experience, an emotion, a universal truth, a moment of beauty, of horror, or realization. Micro poems are demanding and unforgiving. A handful of lines and words leave little room for error or self indulgence. Black Bough Poetry’s Christmas & Winter edition (vol. 2) contains finely crafted works with language and deep imagery that surprise and delight. Take “Winternight” by Chris Allen: “Snowflakes fat as goose-feathers/falling quiet as murder.” This carefully curated volume immerses the reader in wintry landscapes, December cold, and icicle sharpness, from Sarah Connor’s “Everything cuts in winter-” (“Winter”) to “The screech of an owl, wolves’ teeth in the wind” (“Childermas,” Iris Anne Lewis). Luxuriate in the snow a while; pause to take in these distillations of ice and existential chill. Shiver from the awe encapsulated in such poems as M.S. Evans’ “5,000’”: “The air gasps,/leaves behind/snow’s essence;/iridescence.” Distillation indeed. Artist Emma Bissonnet’s lovely cover art, a handsome fox with a direct gaze, will immediately draw you into this anthology that unites poets from across the world. Editor Matthew M. C. Smith and his team have given us a true gift of creativity and community. For more beautiful, imagistic poetry, follow Black Bough Poetry on Twitter (@blackboughpoems).