Reckoning

Reckoning is a long poem in search of its own meaning, with segments calling and responding to each other like jazz musicians riffing back and forth in a late-night smokey speakeasy. It is a master poet taking stock in later years, lost in memories that are alive in the present and lost to history. The poem explores joy, awe, grief, loss, and wonder, and how they disappear into the mind of the dream. Memory and story connect us with the past, and each fragment is a part of the whole. Without them, we exist in isolation.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 72 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2023
Publisher: Anvil Press Publishers Inc

Reckoning, a poetic masterpiece, is a never-ending quest for its own essence. It manifests as a synecdoche of verse, where individual segments interplay, akin to jazz musicians engaging in a late-night, smoky speakeasy. Snippets of conversation float through the air, traversing the seemingly vast space even in its intimate proximity. We are both colossal and diminutive, and eternity can be found in the melodious birdcall. These are the end times, yet the beginnings surround us. They reside in memories, grief, happiness, and song. Here, a master poet reflects upon his later years, adrift and grounded, lost in memories that are both alive in the present and lost to history. The artist's mind cannot help but ponder and wonder about the intricacies of navigating this complex journey. How does one chart a course? How did one chart the course? And what treasures were discovered along the way? Joy, awe, grief, loss, and wonder intertwine, dissolving into the depths of the dream, that opening, and now all rolled into one ball of wisdom. What was my early life, banging away at that padlocked gate? Is this where the return begins? Starting over in old age, with the body falling apart according to plan, and no blossoming wisdom, kneeling on the muddy riverbank, thirsty once again for mind, and when the brain falters, the stories skew once more into something unfamiliar, something from long before, and those pieces will never be put together again, not ever. What connects us with the past? Memory and story. Each fragment a vital part of the whole. Without it, we exist in isolation. Friesen's profound and meticulous observations render Reckoning both intensely personal and universally resonant.

ISBN-13: 9781772142167