Milena Williamson’s collection, Milk & Moon-water (The Emma Press, £7.99), revitalizes ancient Anglo-Saxon charms, lullabies, spells, and counterspells into contemporary poems. The book opens with the Charm for Unfruitful Land, which features an archaic rhythm: "Cut a piece of sod [...] Mix oil, honey and yeast [...] Turn sunwise three times." This sets the stage for Williamson's modern reinterpretation in Charm for Unfruitful Land (Remixed), where she expresses urgency: "I walk on the earth while there is still time and sprinkle seeds / on riverbanks, lawns and graveyards. The smoke pours." The translations serve as companions to the original poems, with memorable lines like those from Charm for Miscarriage (Remixed): "O ovum, O snorkelled pearl, O anarchic grain of rice." Williamson skillfully balances tenderness and anger, as evident in Charm for Tumours (Remixed) and Charm for Loss of Land (Remixed), indicating her mastery of lyric poetry.
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Mark Ward's Real Estate (Salmon, €14) challenges the traditional notion of "home" amid a housing crisis. His surreal poems lead to uncanny perceptions of familiar spaces, illustrated in Apathy where the speaker wanders through a "carnival / of other yous." The collection includes erotic themes and transformative settings, such as in In the Air, which depicts a fleeting encounter amidst striking clouds, likening it to a game world. Fog frequently serves as a metaphor for emotional uncertainty: "Your emotions are a fog, slowing the car / due to low visibility." The opening poems, including Icarus Dreams of the Future, reflect absence and longing, capturing a narrator's alienation within a boisterous family.
Leeanne Quinn’s Landscape with Question (Carcanet, £12.99) engages with abstraction in an accessible manner, influenced by the Irish painter Nano Reid's mysterious narrative. Beginning with poems tied to tentative birth years, the collection interweaves nuanced impressions of place and identity, as seen in The Bullring: "I could hear words indicating / absence but didn’t blame them as I too saw the town / in past tense." Quinn’s voice remains unassuming yet deeply inquisitive, creating a rich tapestry for readers to navigate.
Batool Abu Akleen’s 48kg (Penguin, £10.99) presents haunting reflections on the genocide in Gaza through powerful poetry. In her introduction, Akleen shares her struggle with fear and mortality while writing in Arabic and subsequently translating her work. The collection features 48 poems, with titles that decrease in weight, symbolically aligning with the plight of Palestine. In 47kg, the speaker details a brief moment of elation amidst scarcity, revealing the emotional gravity embedded in simple necessities. Akleen incorporates Old Testament references and profound themes of loss and grief, culminating in the poignant plea at 7kg: "O death / I won’t have to wait for you anymore... If you don’t kill grief // O death / then who will?" This essential poetry serves as a witness to suffering and invites introspection.
Mícheál McCann’s latest collection is titled Lives of the Saints (Gallery Press).