Geography III

"Geography III" was Elizabeth Bishop's final volume of poetry, and it was published only a few years before her death. Sadly this is not her best work, but it's still a vivid, colourful collection of poetry, which focuses on little interactions and striking memories. It opens with Bishop reminiscing about a dental appointment as a child, and how she read National Geographic to keep herself amused. But these mundane things fall away as Bishop is hit by the shocking quality of the world: "I said to myself: three days/and you'll be seven days old./I was saying it to stop/the sensation of falling off/the round turning world..." The poems that follow are just as locked in Bishop's own world: her tiny island with its fifty-two volcanoes, poisonous cities, a New Brunswick bus' passengers spotting a moose, a beloved town full of familiar things, a warrior's perspective on an ashtray, a late winter walk on the beach, and about how "the art of losing isn't hard to master." Very suitably, "Geography III" feels like a last collection of poetry. Many of the poems are reflective of her own dreams and thoughts, and of her childhood in Nova Scotia and Massachusetts. No looking around in this one, only back -- and in a way, that means the zest is gone from her poetry. Bishop is still very vivid and observant, describing the red silt and clapboard houses of Canada, the enormity of small things for a little kid, or the "tiny volcanoes" on her tiny island. Some are rambling descriptions of her daily life ("The rackety, icy, offshore wind/numbed our faces on one side/disrupted the formation/of a lone flight of Canada geese..."), given a poignant beauty. But she also tries out some odder stuff occasionally, such as the charmingly offbeat "One Art ("Lose something every day. Accept the fluster/of lost door keys") or the surreal office battlefields of "12 O'Clock News." And it finishes up with a chilly, early-morning poem about a dog, that ends with, "Yesterday brought to today so lightly!/(A yesterday I find almost impossible to lift)." "Geography III" was a suitable farewell for a brilliant poet -- lots of vivid imagery, poignant reminiscing, and the occasional quirky little poem about losing keys.

This book has some very high quality poems. Although all of them are not prize winners, Bishop uses incredible imagery, wording, and rythm to create her piece. I believe that more of Bishop's work should be included in the classic poetry curiculum.