Burning Stone

T. Virginia Gillese is an editor and writer who is currently involved in
the revising of the Literature, Communications, and Philosophy sections
of the Canadian Encyclopedia.

Zoл Landale’s latest collection of poetry deals with family matters
and relationships. The best poems are those that deal with the loss of
Landale’s sister. The relationship between the sisters is evoked
through sensitive imagery. Having finally let go of her grief and guilt
over her sister’s death, the poet “heard her, / & the fine imprint
of skin, / the feel of her was fresh in air, / the way you feel someone
/ who’s just gone out of the room.” But too often we are left
feeling uncomfortably voyeuristic. An uncle’s sexual molestation at
the hands of a grandfather, for example, is interesting family gossip
but not necessarily great poetry. Landale fails to take her subject
matter beyond the realm of information into the realm of poetry.