Cantos from a Small Room

Wayne Ray is president of the Canadian Poetry Association and author of
Giants of the North.

It is a pleasant surprise to read a book of poetry that remains glued to
its theme. This one, which centres on the death of a family member, ties
together the lives and loves of those within the “family”; one poem
follows the other like stream of consciousness with punctuation.

The book is divided into two sections: “Cantos from a small room”
and “Walking on wild air.” Hilles deals with the death of his
mother-in-law, and the time before and after this event, by delving into
the emotions and memories of all concerned: “Seeing you in your coffin
makes me want to / wake you and to make death return another / day when
crocuses are not blooming on the / hills behind the house”
(son-in-law, Canto 9); “She quietly passes my room several times
before / entering and I remember when I used to do that as a child / and
I am frightened” (granddaughter, Canto 11). In “Walking on wild
air,” the poet takes the reader from the hospital to the home. The
poems are lighter and of a broader scope, but maintain the themes,
memories, and feelings of the family from the Cantos series. Hilles is
an accomplished poet with six previous titles to his credit.