Underwater Carpentry

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

Underwater Carpentry is divided into four parts, consisting of two
collections (“Amphora” and “Goldthread”) and two long poems
(“Underwater Carpentry” and “Trailing Juniper”). The poet
smoothly blends history, nature, and family life in the first two parts.
“Amphora of Wine 230 B.C.” captures Jacques Cousteau and his crew as
they drink preserved wine found on one of Cousteau’s trips. “Was it
bitter like a fruitless dive / or sweet like nitrogen narcosis? / Did
you catch a trace of slaves’ / blood—the human wine-press? / Some of
us are so eager to put / the past on our tongue.” In the title poem,
“Underwater Carpentry,” the speaker struggles with his WASPishness,
his religion, and his relationships. This collection deserves a wide
audience.