PS Conway’s new collection titled, Echoes Lost in Stars explores relationships and the aftermath of loss, using a consistent supply of stunning language to describe the complicated experience of loving. Through his collection, he takes us on a journey of regret, gratitude, and the enduring power of love because as Conway himself says in ‘chill of the sand on my feet,’ “love does not die.”
The imagery Conway uses at the beginning of his collection is natural, which I found perfect for describing a very natural, though tragic, part of life. Just one early poem in the collection titled, ‘a robin alights’ is a beautiful example of this, conveying the narrator’s remembering of his lover through a little robin on his window screen. One line I adore from this piece is, “to articulate with words such sorrow, the gray of today, the black of tomorrow.” A heartbreaking, but relatable way of describing the true hopelessness of loss. But then he writes in the little robin, who acts as a light in the dark, a reminder that not everything is lost.
Personally, my favourite poem in the collection is introduced early; ‘dream i once called love (a sonnet for the lonely).’ This poem stands out to me because not only is the language Conway uses as gorgeous as ever, but the structure of the piece adds another level of sorrowful whimsy. The final line of this poem captures the essence of this collection, “grasping for meaning or a lack thereof / reminded of that dream i once called love,” as it explores the pursuit of meaning and the bittersweet memory of lost love.
For those seeking clever writing, breathtaking imagery, and a heartwarming reminder of our collective human experiences, I strongly recommend this collection. This book will be a beautiful light for when life gets dark, offering readers the comfort that we are not as alone as we may feel.
