Elegy Book

Some poetry collections, when read, defy the written word; instead they paint a world of their own, using images as a paintbrush on the canvas, the reader's mind. Elegy: Poems by Mary Jo Bang did just that for this reader. Bang chronicles the year following her son's death in this new collection of poems. Though Bang's poetry is new for me, she has published four poetry collections and is a Professor of English and the Director of the Creative Writing Program at Washington University.

This volume of poetry is rich with vivid imagery. If the reader is looking for a nice, feel-good read, then do not choose this book. But if the reader is in search of a poignant journey that gives them something to think on for days, this is exactly the read that should be chosen. This collection is rich in emotional truth that anyone who has suffered a loss can relate to.

When I reached the poem, "History," I saw the grief in a raw form:

Had she not laid on that bed with a boy
All those years ago, where would they be, she wondered.

The 'what ifs' and the 'should haves' consume the mourner. These two lines sum up the whole collection for me. I was deeply touched. The reader is immersed into the pit of darkness this death has brought, but also sees the light. Bang's light shines in the poems "Let's Go Back" and "One Thing."

"Visiting" is the last poem in this journey and reminds me that moving forward is a choice, but the loss is ever present, adjusted, walked around, but always present in the corners of the mind.

After I wake from a dream of walking
Shoeless in snow. Cold is that cold.
Look at all the meaningless gestures.

People keep
Making: flowers in a vase and overheard
Overblown terms like seldom

And massive and missive and all
The words except
I miss you. For me meaning is pared

Thank you, Mary Jo Bang for a glimpse into your honesty. You have touched this reader. Mary Jo says it all in the last two lines of this volume:

Which simply means
The ahead is again.