IN A LANGUAGE NOT YOUR OWN
Poems in English Shaped by an English–Portuguese Dialogue
by Sonja N. BohmSonja N. Bohm
In this contemplative poetry collection, Bohm explores the appeal of bodies of water, the tug of romantic longing, and the need for calm.
In the opening poem, “September,” the speaker contemplates the fleeting nature of time, the heart’s endurance, and the “space between bank and boat, / the vast and impassable moat.” Water and shoreline imagery recur. In “Cold Feet,” the speaker asks, “Can I know this country / without putting my feet in the waters?” “Unconditional” reflects on the sea’s nonjudgmental, undemanding nature, which reflects the state of the speaker’s soul. “Nazaré (‘Et Vivam’)” expands on this sentiment, noting that the tides’ ebbing and flowing actions are “a balm for my heart.” “White Sails” and “The Distance” describe waiting onshore for a boat and searching the horizon for home, respectively, while in “The Seagulls,” the speaker compares herself to the titular birds, always returning to the sea. The speaker eagerly awaits chilly weather in “Autumn,” while “Winter” captures the empty restlessness of that snowy season. Other poems focus on love’s uncertainty and complications. In “Fragment,” for instance, the speaker walks under a gibbous moon, wondering, “Of what value is loyalty / without love in the heart?” “In Your Gaze” finds the speaker struggling to decide whether “To love you or to let you go,” and “Suspended” grapples with desire, comparing it to fruit still hanging on the tree. Later poems circle images of morning and night as speakers seek joy, peace, and rest. “Legacy” concludes the book with a poetic wish to be remembered for having loved.
In this understated but affecting set of poems, Bohm masterfully connects natural landscapes with human interactions, using bodies of water as a metaphor for the fluidity of relationships. “Something Like Grief” accurately depicts the pain of loss, and how it leaves one feeling “robbed of something that I had never possessed.” Many pieces, such as “It’s Not the Waiting,” offer astute wisdom, including “It’s not the waiting / that causes suffering, / but the doubting / and the unknown.” A pleasant musical quality runs through other poems such as “Synesthetic,” which describes music as droplets falling on the skin, and “Beat the Drum,” which conjures a beloved’s heartbeat. Most entries are in an easy, free-verse style, but the rhyming poem “Before the Dawn” stands out as unique, thanks to its rhythm and proverb-like content: “Impatient blossom, hear my song!— / I know the winter lasted long, / yet he wins faith who trusts in Time, / who, far removed from warmer climes, / would heed this counsel that I bring / and overwinter till the Spring.” The economy of Bohm’s poems is another strength; the writing often conveys a lot in little space, as in “I Came as a Stranger,” which states, “I came as a stranger, / even as a friend; / but I sang like a lover / and fell in love with you.” At times, though, that same spareness may leave some readers wanting more context and fuller characters.An enjoyable set of works that, at its best, finds connections between nature and human sociability.