This collection gathers work written between 1963 and 1990, moving from the landscapes of Canada to the rural topographies of Sri Lanka. The poems focus on the physical sensations of domestic life, the labor of spice harvesting, and the visceral details of human anatomy. Concrete imagery dominates the text, describing the lingering scent of yellow bark on a wife’s skin and the precise movements of dogs, birds, and family members. The writing tracks the intersection of personal memory and colonial history, documenting the mundane rituals and violent politics that shape a private life.
Readers of contemporary lyric poetry turn to this book for its focus on sensory precision and the relationship between geography and identity. It attracts those interested in how migration and dual heritage influence a writer’s observation of nature and the body. A reader walks away with a sharpened awareness of the physical world and an understanding of how brief, tactile moments serve as anchors for broader historical narratives. The volume provides a technical look at how narrative fragments can reconstruct a personal map of several continents.
- Published
- 1989
- Language
- EN
