An Old Shell: Poems of the Galapagos
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.50 (953 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0374356483 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 64 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-06-30 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
"An exquisite little book" according to ST. I'm going to the Galapagos in November and, as an elementary school librarian, I want to share the experience with my students. I purchased this book without knowing much about it and I really struck gold! Here's the poem about the Painted Locust:To the hawk and the dove,th. "Zzzzzzzzzz" according to Boony. Talk about a disappointment.These poems bring back very little memories of such a magical place. I was looking forward to getting lost in a beautiful landscape of forgotten worldsthe sun's rays reflecting unbelievable colorationdragons sleeping side by sidewinds blowing the
(Oct.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Publishers Weekly In this book of 34 poems, Johnston (The Magic Maguey) records her observations during a trip to the Gal pagos, which in a note she characterizes as a place "wild and vast and stark, looking out over the endless and shining skin of the sea." However striking some individual poems may be, the collection as a whole does not re-create the poet's awe. Sometimes Johnston's images are rich and evocative, as in the closing "Gal pagos": "Hold this place/ gently/ like an old shell./ Hold it/ to your ear./ Hear the song that sings/ insideA/ splash of fish/ flutter of finch/ rustle of salt/ wind/ lava hissing/ in wet sand/ and the echo of loneliness/ wild and wide." She sees with the eyes of an environmentalist who treasures each creature: a beetle is "one perfect polished pebble/ feeling its way along the rim/ of morning." C
Here, you are at the core of the mystery and poetry of Nature." So writes Tony Johnston, who visited the Galapagos Islands in 1995, in her eloquent author's note. This is her collection of thirty-four lyrical poems starring the wonderful islands and their unique inhabitants -- from the long-horned grasshopper to the rice rat -- and accompanied by naturalistic drawings by Tom Pohrt.. Poems in contemplation of an ecological treasure."When you stand in this place, wild and vast and stark, looking out over the endless and shining skin of the sea, you hear the flutter and roar of Creation, feel the stir of your own beginnings upon the delicate chain of life