Christmas arrived this week in the mailbox, either four months late or eight months early, or maybe right on time.  It came in the form of a modest manila envelope. I knew right away what it contained. I'd been waiting for it a long time, as a small child waits for Santa. This was the new book of poetry from Bamboo Ridge Press, No Choice but to Follow, linked renshi poems by Jean Yamasaki Toyama, Juliet S. Kono, Ann Inoshita, and Christy Passion.

Two cool things about subscribing to Bamboo Ridge's publications—first, you never know what day they will arrive; and second, you get to unwrap them. I thought the heat from the poetry might blister my hands, but the envelope did a good job of insulation. All that amazing poetry, compressed into about 150 pages, and well disguised by the unpoetical appearance of the envelope. Is this a poem? You tell me:

BAMBOO RIDGE PRESS
PO BOX 61781
HONOLULU, HI 96839-1781

NONPROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE PAID
HONOLULU, HI
PERMIT NO 639

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Did I rip open the Christmas present? I did not. Did I even open it right away? No. Did I just stare at it for a while and feel its weight in my hand? I did that. Did I wait until the day died down to open it at all? I confess I did.

When I finally opened it, did I begin reading? No, I admired the cover for a day (featuring "Stray Dog," by Russell Sunabe). Also, I waited for a lazy Saturday morning to read the book without interruption.

One reason I delayed was that I was debating how best to experience the book. It's not a novel you can begin on page one. It gives you options. You can read the extended commentary of the four poets  in the back first. You can begin by listening to the poets reading their poems on the CD.  You can start with the poems themselves, from the beginning or jumping around.

Here's what I did, and I'm so glad I did. I found the most comfortable chair in the house, lit by sunlight, reclined the chair at the ideal angle, and then began to read the poems. From the beginning. And aloud. As soon as I began reading Jean Toyama's opening poem aloud, I knew that was the right way for me. I was able to experience the poems more fully by seeing the words and hearing them.

Here are four women who love words, and love to create images and capture thoughts and emotions. The poems moved me with their beauty, their power building as they were linked one to the other by a few words. It takes about 45 minutes to read the poems aloud. At the end of that time, with all the chicken skin moments along the way,  I was just, I don't know, grateful for this gift. I sat there and wiped tears from my face. I look forward to listening to the poets reading on the CD, and I plan to write about that, and point out my favorite poems from the book.

So yes, I cried. Not many books to do that to me. What else can I confess? I have to admit that I am a big fan of all four of these poets, and I cannot say that of too many poets these days. But I confess to having one favorite among the four. The first time I read Christy Passion's poetry, I was blown away, and I had to tell her. So I did. I'm afraid I must have sounded like a gushing fan standing in the presence of a favorite movie star. She took it well. Unfortunately, every time I see her now I feel compelled to tell her how much I love her writing. Every time! I can't help it. "Christy, I have to tell you that your poetry is so incredibly ... " and I expect her to turn and run away from the idiot.  Maybe next time she will. I wouldn't blame her.

So thank you to all those who worked on this new and wonderful book. And to Christy and Ann and Juliet and Jean, I want to say this. Never doubt your talent, not for a second.

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Readings coming up on April 28 at KCC, May 4 at UH, and May 8 at Native Books.  For details go to the HawaiiReaders events page or the Bamboo Ridge Press events page.

Tags: Ann Inoshita, Christy Passion, Jean Yamasaki Toyama, Juliet S. Kono, No Choice but to Follow

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 24th, 2010 at 3:30 pm and is filed under Book events, Hawaii poetry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.