A Mortar of Seeds

Edward L. Edmonds is a professor of education at the University of
Prince Edward Island and honorary chief of the Mi’kmaq of Prince
Edward Island.

Henihan’s prevailing mood in A Mortar of Seeds is a sombre one: a dark
vision assuredly, but projected with honesty, consistency, even modest
reticence. And at the end of it all, beyond the despair, weariness,
guilt, and remorse, comes an acceptance of self, a quiet resignation
nicely captured in the last poem, “It is all over, now.” A key
element in this is his discovery of, and frequent reference to, someone
like-minded and similarly afflicted (possibly the “Gwen” to whom he
dedicates his poems?). Being sad together helps transcend his own
sadness and brings composure. Some of his poems express a more numinous
yearning, as in “Egress” and “Eminence.” His images often have a
tactile quality: “The soft arms of evening”; “the softened heart /
of October apples.” Overall, the atmosphere of a damp autumn is never
far away. These poems may appeal particularly to older readers.