Four Red Crescent Moons

Chris Knight is copy editor of the National Post in Toronto.

The jacket of this book describes Julie McNeill, whose first collection
this is, as an accomplished reader on stage and radio. It shows in her
poems, which have seldom a wasted breath, and which proceed so easily
that one must consciously read more slowly to fully absorb everything.
Many of the 51 pieces in the collection are about finding, keeping, or
losing love; and the images, while simple, capture the sharp stings of
romance. In “Mistress’ Gifts,” she writes: “I am the kite lines
you pull against / surging toward freedom / but without me / you careen
through empty skies / pursued by an unrelenting gravity / where once the
light line of my love / could hold you steady.”

Other nonromantic metaphors sparkle on the page: “leaning awkwardly
against the wind / your shirt laughing like a loose sail,” or “the
great ape / ... his brow furrowed like a scientist without the lab
coat.” Some poetry collections grow tiresome by the end, as themes and
structures are repeated. McNeill manages to combine ample variety in
style while still keeping a distinct voice. Read in a single sitting,
this collection leaves the reader hungry for more.