Running into the Open

Sparling Mills was a freelance reviewer living in Herring Cove, N.S.

There are sixteen poems in the chapbook, Running into the Open, by Pamela Banting. The last poem, “The Erotics of Space,” commands a separate title page and seven pages of small stanzas or moments. Unfortunately, these lines are very weak, and do not merit special treatment.

On the other hand, memorable lines do occur in the rest of the book, especially on the subject of physical love. In “The Awakening,” Banting writes: “traces of semen / glisten on my thighs”; she likens this to “the path of a snail / on a leaf.” Another poem, “Yin,” ends with the words “the same oriental / rhythms of a woman in orgasm”; and in the most sensuous of all the poems, “THE,” the poet presents an orgasm in progress. Certainly, this poem alone would establish the relevancy of the title! Banting is insisting on women’s right to the freedom of describing the mechanics as well as the vague ecstasy of love-making.

In addition to the love poems, two portraits should be mentioned: “Old Man in the Garden” and “To Gabriel Dumont.” In the first, Banting gives us the following insight into the “Old Man”: “this year again / giving the weeds plenty / of room / giving himself / a reason.” The reader is reminded of the importance of having a self-justification to exist.

“To Gabriel Dumont” is more lyrical, the name “Gabriel” being repeated eight times, almost as a litany. His name “lingers [like] woodsmoke in clothing.” The poet needs “to know the old ways of things / the stories” he has to tell. At the end, she urges Gabriel to come to her, lie with her, and “they’ll dance on the golden bone.” There is the potential for further poems on Dumont; Banting might do well to consider expanding her study of him and his place in prairie history.