Strands the Length of the Wind

Edward L. Edmonds is a professor of English at the University of Prince
Edward Island.

The title of this volume aptly encapsulates these random ruminations on
the multifaceted nature of life on this planet. Though the book is
conveniently divided into four sections, each poem can (and should) be
studied on its own. Smith typifies that rare combination of scholar,
poet, scientist, and philosopher. His style is conversational, with all
the rhythms of everyday speech, but his vocabulary will require the
reader to consult a dictionary time after time. He is a poet of many
moods, variously assertive, puzzled, saddened, tender—but always
questing (the “outer space connection” in Part 4 fascinates him).

Smith is an excellent exemplar of that old maxim that the best poetry
should be spoken. Poems such as “Exodos” and “This amphora” are
vividly dramatic monologues in the Browning mode. The poet provides all
his sonnets (the prevailing form) with a strong, memorable first line.
The attractive cover photograph subtly evokes the book’s theme.