Tend is a book that asks for an attentive reader. In return, the poet offers an open hand—
“….fridge hums, bran spills
I sip, you broom”
Tend
The poems tend carefully to so much that is typically untended, refusing to pander to the explanatory, declamatory, or obvious. They offer opportunities to re-value the ignored, the rejected, the minimal detritus of the everyday. Throughout the book, the poet’s point of view is close-up, precise and caring. On an early, rainy morning in Spring, it is well worth the time taken to sit for a few minutes with the playful and thoughtful lists of That is to say¾
“…-lie down in the weeds
-build a fence with no gate
-stack hay bales for cats
-write over old letters….”
Kate Hargreaves is a surgeon, slicing poems down to the bone; a sculptor, cleaving away all except what is required to reveal what is missing, or perhaps what was present all along¾
“iii.
Your poem is a metaphor.
Your poem is about skinning my cheek on the sidewalk.
Your poem is not yours at all.”
other people’s dogs
other people’s dogs is an engaging poem and one of my favourites in the collection. It would be a fine discussion tool in any poetry class¾
“viii.
…the poem is a backspace
the eggshells are in translation
the poem is a text
the dog is an olive branch
the coffee is an olive”
Leading us through so many possibilities, the poem ends with a caution, inviting us not to take ourselves, the poet, or the poem anywhere that is unnecessarily complex¾
“ix.
…the dog is just a dog”
Another favourite poem is explicit about the through-thread of connection to and love for place, for the ground on which we find ourselves, that enlivens the collection: rift . While
“// infants crown & cry out // gas tanks run dry // workers retire //
snowdrops bloom & fade // clouds pass overhead // soup cans split
shopping bags //”
Windsor’s trains roll in, reverse, switch tracks, come to rest on level crossings. “Windsor’s trains”, rift says, “demand humility”….
Poems in the collection offer a subtle and tender view that eschews ornament and sentiment. Instead they focus with a certain practicality on what we all encounter but might not otherwise include in a poem¾
“a patch of mould on an English muffin
nails just long enough to tap on tables”
innumerable shades
The concise language of Tend also offers, in its spare approach and precise layout on the page, silence. From the silences between words, lines and poems, emerges a thoughtful commentary on grief, loneliness and the often-hidden perils of contemporary North American life. Whatever we might have lost, whatever we might be missing, can probably be found somewhere in the spaces within and around Kate Hargreaves’ poetry. With this offering and an attendant expectation that the reader will bring themselves to the page with the same care and clear-eyed view as the poet, there is an opportunity to find and honour diverse forms of inclusion. Such an open hand ought not to be ignored.
Kate Hargreaves is the author of the poetry collection, Leak, as well as Jammer Star, a roller derby novel for young readers, and Talking Derby, a book of prose vignettes. She holds an MA in English and Creative Writing from the University of Windsor, where she received the Governor General’s Gold Medal in Graduate Studies. Her work has appeared in literary journals across Canada, the US, and the UK. As a book designer for numerous Canadian presses, Hargreaves has received honours from the Alcuin Society for Excellence in Book Design, the CBC Bookie Awards, and the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. She grew up in Amherstburg, Ontario, and lives and works in Windsor.
- Publisher : Book*hug Press (Oct. 13 2022)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 96 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1771667818
- ISBN-13 : 978-1771667814
Susan is grateful to live on Treaty 18 territory at the southern shore of Manidoo-gitchigami (Georgian Bay) in Ontario, Canada with two human partners and a very large dog. Recent publications include a collaborative chapbook,Hand Shadowswith Michele Green and Suzette Sherman (Wintergreen Press, 2024). Hag Dancesis coming out with At Bay Press in Spring 2025.www.susanwismer.com