This collection of poems has been beautifully curated to trace the journey of a person throughout their lifetime, reflecting both the ups and downs in the complete trajectory. But what is most significant is how there is an essence of universality wrapped around these diverse expressions of the poet's personal experiences. It invites the reader to visualize the given predicament and to relate with the speaker while maintaining a slight distance that further builds interest.
Some of these poems talk about love, childhood memories, celebrating birth, some are about grief or mourning a loss and a few others resonate with a yearning for returning home, here, back to the wide green pastures of Ireland. Perhaps, it is this innate longing for one's native land that has been sensitively mirrored in these poems which ultimately touches our heartstrings as it echoes inside our minds long after we have read the poem. Different situations can alienate us from our origins, but it is this constant urge to go back and reclaim our roots that make these poems particularly stand out from the rest.
However, there are also poems that seem a bit forced and therefore unusual, for instance, in "The Enlightenment" or "Death and Loss" and "The Lake Poet", the ending words in every line are made to rhyme but a few stray lines escape this tradition, making us wonder what could be the poet's intentions. Despite such incongruencies, it is certain that a large number of Caitrín's poems showcase remarkable internal rhythm and cadence. Especially poems such as "Ireland", "A Wish", "The Ember" and "The Blackwater River" leave an indelible impression on our souls as they transport us to another place and time.
Poetry has always been one of the most expressive forms of literature in spite of its brevity and inclination to abstractism. This nuance is nurtured and developed in these poems with the help of imagery and other poetic devices such as figures of speech or alliteration. Yet this kind of play with the form often makes poetry too abstract to be enjoyable by the masses. It is important to note that such embellishments do not make this collection unattainable or unreachable, but in fact commonplace things and ordinary emotions has been highlighted here with a new kind of attention making it more accessible. Recommended for anyone with a simple interest in poetry.
