First published on May 29, 2009

Received Milly Jourdain's poems in the mail, and they are breaking my heart. More anon, because I am writing a review of them. Somebody has to. But I'll give you a poem:

Watching the Meet

Joan Arden [Milly Jourdain]

The air is still so new and fresh and cold,

It makes a warm excitement in our hearts

To drive beside the sad and lonely fields.

And now we see a wider space of road

Where groups of horsemen moving restlessly

Are waiting for the quiet-footed hounds.

The hounds come swiftly, covering the way

Like foaming water surging round our feet.

And then with cries and sound of cracking whips

All, all are gone: the distant beat of hoofs

Like trailing smoke of dreams, comes fitfully

To tell how near they were a moment past.

But we see only winter trees again,

And turning homewards meet a drifting rain.

Update: Well, I wrote the review at manic speed, in the space of three hours. Now I don't know what to do with it. Who publishes reviews of obscure, out-of-print poetry collections? I'll send it to you to read, however, if you'd like to see it.