The Sun Is Whatever You Say It Is

Bert Almon is a professor of English at the University of Alberta and
the author of Calling Texas and Earth Prime.

Robbie Drummond’s first book, Arctic Circle Songs (1991), relied
heavily on stories about practising medicine in the North. This second
book shows a real widening of range by a competent craftsman.

In the book’s opening section, the poems about animals are precise
and never rely on sentimentality (“Jersey Cows in the Underworld” is
one of the best). Nor does the poet settle into a predictable style; he
finds the line length and the tone required for the particular theme.
Themes range from Canadian politics and medical cases to love and death.
Drummond usually writes incisively, although “Inca Snow” (a poem
about drug use) and “Rage” (a poem of righteous indignation about a
variety of injustices) are two that wander into rhetoric. Nevertheless,
the abundance of interesting work in this book makes it clear that
Drummond is a poet with a future.