The Wishing Tomb
Amanda Auchter
88 pp., Perugia Press
ISBN: 978-0-9794582-5-5
$16.00
As a matter of course, I like to disclose my relationship
with the author of the book I am reviewing.
I find it easier than trying to explain later how and why I came to
write a positive review (you should all know by now I do not write negative
reviews) for the book. Too many people
for my comfort try to make some sort of nepotistic connection, as if I expect
the author in question to support my work in return of a favorable review. That just isn't so.
I have known Amanda Auchter, or rather, I have had dealings
with her since her early days editing Pebble Lake Review. Amanda graciously accepted several of my
poems for that publication, and those acceptances came at a point in my writing
life when that acceptance made me feel as if a burden was being lifted off my
shoulders. Since then, I have followed
her presence on line and of course now with the advent of Facebook, I have come
to see pieces and fragments of her personal life, which always adds depth to my
understanding of the work.
When setting out to write a book so focused on a theme, as
The Wishing Tomb is, the reader comes to the book with certain
expectations. The reader expects to read
about the topic at hand from the writer's perspective. One expects certain sensibilities and perhaps
the reader will rely upon past experiences with other similar projects. When I heard the book of poems focused on the
history of New Orleans I have to admit I was expecting something akin to B.H. Fairchild's
work. I was expecting more history than
lyric, more sociology than image. I am
not saying Fairchild is lacking in these areas, but he does cut a wide swath
with his poetry, and when I began to read The Wishing Tomb, I found something
much more personal.
From the very beginning of the book, Auchter reveals her
command of the single line of verse. Her
fragmented stanzas and lines is one of the best examples of confidence I have
seen in any of my recent reading. She is
able to allow these utterances to stand by themselves, linger, and worm their
way into the mind of the reader. When I
read the poem "Casket Girls," early on in the book, is when I
realized I was in for something really exciting. In a strangely anonymous persona poem,
Auchter announces her intent on diving deep with the reader in tow.
We thought the water
would never
end. Dark pools of stars
in our faces―
Auchter spend the
rest of the first section floating in and out of various persona poems and
omniscient observation, slowly transitioning into poems constructed with beautifully
written couplets and amazing single lines.
"American Plague" is another must-read-again poem in the first
section of the book.
Throughout the book, Auchter provides a roving pastoral of
the city and its various places. While
these locations may be familiar to those who have knowledge of the city, the
poet is able to bring a relevance to the reader (such as myself) who has no
experience with the city. For those
unfamiliar with New Orleans, there is presented here simultaneously the city
everyone knows and the city only the poet can describe. The opening lines of the final poem,
"Late Pastoral" read:
How beautiful this
was in the beginning:
white mulberry, Indian
corn, a source
without suffering,
without crime.
The blue-white wall
of sky above us
and nothing for miles but water,
duckweed, Tupelo
gum. It is April . . .
By the end of the second section, Auchter has painted a
mural of the city's history, both of familiar and obscure events. I want to meet the characters and people
behind these poems. Here in the second
section the reader finds the title poem.
It's straightforward address, as it takes the reader through a series of
traditional/folkish rites, is a reminder of New Orleans' magic, that in this
city, "Everything// becomes possible."
If anything is predictable in this collection it is we know
the third section will address the recent events and struggles within New
Orleans. However, by the time you have
read the first two sections, you are prepared to enter the third section having
a richer, more complete sense of what New Orleans is---certainly more informed
than what many other writers provide when they write about Hurricane Katrina. In fact, The Wishing Tomb can serve to inform
most every other poem written about Hurricane Katrina. And being able to inform
readers for an entire topic and specific subject matter is a wonderful side
effect to contribute. Here,
"Fragments of an Aftermath" challenges conventional views of what
happened in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina.
The Wishing Tomb is Amanda Auchter's second book of poems
and as a poet I envy her confidence and command of the line; however, that
isn't why you should read this book. You
need to read this book because it is wholly American in its focus and
devotion. You need to read this book
because Auchter has created something whole, complete, and compelling. You need to read this book so you look
beneath the surface of New Orleans with rich and daring language taking you by
the hand and leading the way. The Wishing Tomb will not---cannot disappoint.
