See My Feathered Fingers

<p>'Elaine Barker analyses the natural world the home and places beyond; not with the eye of the detached onlooker but compassionately inhabiting the minds of fellow travellers from the tough tattooed man to the accident victim from a baby in a shawl to a merry cemetery. They celebrate the commonplace – <em>not the pots and pans of life</em> – but precise moments like a spider’s web <em>glinting threads strung from its bridge line / each silk strand spun with dewdrops / each glistening sharp and fine</em>. An entire world held within a single feather. Sparrows which <em>casually flit / in and out of life</em>; snatches of memory or loss of memory past and present fused into exquisitely discrete moments <em>pickpocketing memories not mere scraps of existence</em>. Worlds and histories evoked by a brooch a brass button or a mended vase; mere objects until they intersect with humanity. These poems sparkle like the sun through peppertrees <em>glinting through lacy foliage</em>…' - Rob Walker</p><p>'There is a Zen-like stillness in Elaine Barker’s new collection which is always assured in its clear notes. There are new experiences in Asia and a willingness to reference other forms of art which inspire deep meditation. Her poetry issues an arresting peace.' - Brian Castro</p>