A first collection of the poems of a poet who combines both a mystical and realistic look at life, many poems having already appeared in other publications.

Casgliad cyntaf o gerddi gan fardd sy'n llwyddo i gyfuno golwg gyfriniol a realistig ar fywyd, nifer o'r cerddi eisoes wedi ymddangos mewn cyhoeddiadau eraill.

This very impressive first collection of poems by Lorna Catriona Lloyd, who is also a visual artist, contains some lively and sensitive descriptions of both the exterior detail of everyday life and the interior of the emotional.

The imagery she uses is surreal, moving and clever. All the poems have a self-contained feel to them. Metaphor is used expertly, in, for example, ‘Ship in a bottle’: ‘Your heart refused to travel, like a ship in a bottle . . . I still wonder how you became small enough to claw your way inside such a narrow unforgiving aperture’. The simplicity of the content in each stanza adds to the depth of the subject matter, as in ‘Chrysalis’: ‘I witnessed a morbid genesis – she shed a skin nightdress–'

The ‘For Sale’ list in her Paris Journal ’97 invokes a colourful display of images. There is later a curious collection of writings again from a Paris Journal – colourful snapshots such as ‘Art Trail’ – ‘looking for triangles ... the Louvre entrance an enormously obvious one but I find a patently obvious one too on the end of a passing red stiletto’ – there is a subtle humour throughout this journal writing.

There is a real sharpness in her use of language, as in ‘Puddles’: ‘You know the way a puddle reflects the universe, inviting you to leap into heaven, that’s him, pretending to be deep, when an inch down I hit rock bottom.’ She has a fantastically fresh vision which shines through.

Altogether, a very enjoyable book, thoroughly interesting and visually rich, a first collection with an abundance of varied poems.

Clare Maynard

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgement should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio’r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatad Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.