Cath Davies

The work in this vibrant collection is written by two poets who care deeply about people, the world we share and the challenges facing us today. Lisa Rossetti and Cath Davies gaze at those challenges with a clear eye and don’t flinch from the fact that they can seem daunting, “The sky is full of blood; / the moon a dirty fingernail.” The book is divided into sections such as War, Poverty, Mental Health and Climate and, in a sense, the poems are a report on the current situation. ‘Bleak’ is the over-riding impression in most of the cases, “I look outside the window in horror.” But these poems offer us hope, for the first step in dealing with a problem is to look on it with a clear eye. And the final section of the collection, ‘Affirmation And Hope’ offers words we can cling to, “I will hold on to everything human.” Lisa Rossetti and Cath Davies have contrasting voices but there is an easy harmony between their poems and the combination of their work enriches their individuality. Despite the subject matter, there is a positive feel throughout this collection and I very much enjoyed the humour sprinkled through the poems, “She dialled up 2022. / It rang for ages, then went to options.” I also liked the collection’s straightforward message; there is work to be done so let’s get started. “So with my shining needle I now begin the process of restoration: / to thread back Hope into my fabric once more.”

Ewan Smith