Howlings from the Wall
Power Politics: Poems (1971/1996), Atwood, Margaret, published by Anansi Press Ltd., 1800 Steeles Ave. West, Concord ON L4K 2P3. 56 pp. $12.95.
"Like a deep sea
creature with glass bones and wafer
eyes drawn
to the surface, I break
open, the pieces of me
shine briefly in your empty hands"
(p.42)
Atwood’s lines are rendered with the crisp, cool truth of citrus on a cold November morning, their honesty clean and sharp, as they speak of emptiness that won’t be filled, of comfort that won’t be found. Atwood’s craft is in the economy of her words. Her lines are precise and meticulous, filled with short “T”s, clean “C”s, and long and drawn “S”s sounds that echo from far...
Power Politics is, in my opinion, one of Atwood’s most monumental collections of poetry. First published in 1971, this collection deals with the interplay of power in relationships. Atwood works with the exactitude and control of a science. Her position may be found in the words of the speaker of “Their attitudes differ” (p. 10) who asserts,
"I approach this love
like a biologist
pulling on my rubber
gloves & white lab coat"
(p.10)
Like the speaker of her poem, Atwood examines these exchanges with intricate detail, going over each careful thought and movement, exposing all sides of power in a relationship: the power to hold, the power to withhold, the power to surrender... that is, to surrender everything but control.
Twenty-five years after its initial publication, Power Politics can still be read with remarkable freshness. The reappearance of this collection is not only a celebration of Atwood’s understanding of the timeless “politics” of love, but of the power of her carefully crafted verse.
Christal Steck
Robin Hannah, our guest editor for issues 10, 11, & 12, is an Ottawa
poet. She has been published in various local mags and her first chapbook,
Line of Half (above/ground press) came out in May '96. I would like to
welcome her on board, I've been an admirer of her work, since we first
meet three years ago in a creative writing course. Her poetry is always
sensitive, sharp and to the point. Robin crafts a poem like a Japanese
Master swordmaker creates a blade; using only the finest ingredients, forging
at the precise temperature and folding steel in on its self, hundreds if
not thousands of time. We're ecstatic to have her on board.
b stephen harding
Have you seen the writing
on the wall
Managing Editor:
b stephen harding, Editor: Robert Craig, Consulting Editor:
Seymour Mayne, Art Consultant: Kane Faucher
Guest Editor: Robin Hannah
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