Good poetry meets you wherever you are then draws you into its world. Seamlessly weaving place, perception; revelation, inspiration. Touching both the mind and soul.
The poetry of Andrew James Murray does just that and his second published poetry collection, In Brigantia does not disappoint.
~~~
I prefer reading poetry in the deep of night, the early recesses of morning. I like to take my time and linger, savoring each line and nuanced word choice within the context of the whole of the poem.
Yes, I flip through a new volume upon first receipt, even skim a few lines, but ultimately, the hunkering down with a new collection of poetry is an anticipated event – date – I make with myself for some dark day, quiet evening or womb-like twilight.
~~ Phrases to savor ~~
“From this soil,
seeded with the dead,
beautiful things will grow” (from: In Brigantia)
“Our country is too small
for road trips.
There is nothing epic
about these squeezed shores.
Where are we to go
to find ourselves?” (from: Motorway)
“A dog barks itself
into tomorrow,
clawing back the shade.” (from: Nocturnes)
~~Regarding process~~
“Some lines come to me when travelling, such as with Railway Platform.
We passed through a station (without stopping) which, due to rain sweeping in, appeared abandoned, except for a guitar case no doubt left by its owner who was seeking shelter while waiting for his/her train.
I was thinking about how platforms are normally busy places of greetings and farewells, and maybe some of those could, somehow, be held in the atmosphere and tapped into to work as inspiration to creative people. Like the owner of that guitar case.
Like seeds growing in darkness.
That’s how my mind works! And that’s how that poem was born before we’d reached the next station.” – Andrew James Murray
~~~
In Brigantia can be found at Amazon and Amazon UK
~~~
Andrew James Murray is a writer and poet who is still firmly rooted in his childhood town in Manchester, England.
He has a wife who keeps him grounded, and four children who keep him young.
Among other things, he loves history and roots, books and writing, spirituality, landscape, music and the outdoors-all of which he can become a tad obsessive about.
He also tracks Great White sharks throughout the world over the internet, much to his wife’s consternation.
He can be found writing about anything and nothing over at City Jackdaw and at Coronets for Ghosts for all things poetry related.
Andrew is currently working on his first novel.
Laura, you are a gift to the reader. I like how your poetry reading experience is so personal and easy to relate to. I too enjoy reading poetry in the deep of night, so much to hear during those silent hours. 🙂
I like the snippets you shared of Murray’s poems, especially the second one. Looking at the date of your review, these poems were surely written before the pandemic. But how the lines, “Where are we to go / to find ourselves?” ring true today!
Thank you for the introduction.
You are more than welcome, Khaya. As you have noted, often poetry speaks to us differently at different times in our lives depending upon what we bring ‘to the page’. Perhaps that’s part of it’s timelessness?
And, thank you for your thoughtful comments…
Thank you Laura. It is always nice to meet new writers.
You’re welcome, Brigid.
I never heard of this poet! Thanks! (Among contemporary poets, I’m a fan of Billy Collins.)
Always happy to bring something new to a reader!
And yes, I had to google Billy Collins, so you see it goes both ways!
One of my favorite contemporary poets is Mary Oliver who recently passed away.
Yay! Thank you for featuring Andy! I so agree that this is a volume to be savored. And summer is a great time to sit and linger over poetry.
You’re so right!