Tacoma Narrows

Mitchell Parry’s Tacoma Narrows makes it almost impossible to be a critic. These buoyant poems show control and wisdom over every single syllable. Nothing is forced and his poetry is that of the everyday. Whether it’s the “heartbreak of her ankles” or some drunk with an axe, Parry gives you both sides, and the omega of everything in between. He is a vessel, taking only what he needs. “Can there be a poem without blood?” he asks. Longing for love, but not the cancer of domesticity, he cites the “dozens” of people who were injured by placemats last year as a possible deterrent. A litany of apprehensions, love, life and irony, this is a wonderful collection of poems that will spur the reader’s imagination with every turn of the page. (Shawn Collins)

by Mitchell Parry, $17.95, 90 pgs, Goose Lane Editions, 469 King Street, Fredericton, NB, E3B 1E5, gooselane.com