Towards Babingley

Paul Berry's poetry collection Towards Babingley is a space he invites us into with language inspired by his poetic imagination. Life experiences are explored from the wellspring of his connection to nature. His ability to combine words to create vibrant images are a hallmark of his poetry and you will find yourself greatly enriched by his perceptions and philosophical hints. In his many layered approach he gives his poems a link with the past and also a glimpse of the future, promising us further gifts with his next collection.

Towards Babingley is a collection of poems by Paul Berry. Reading the collection, I experienced different facets of enjoyment. I enjoyed the excursions, examples of Paul's detailed skill which puts the reader in the landscape, in the moment and in the emotion. This ability to transport the reader is a very real skill which Paul has, drawing the reader out of themselves in a most gentle way. Ecstatic moments are captured in a few words as in the poem Blackberries: ‘The ride out, swerving along rutted tracks on a bike made to shake every young bone….' I have enjoyed the information. Paul is always full of information which is new to me, and I enjoy that. Whether it is history, local geography or people, he always has facts which he can spin and link together to improve the readers understanding. I enjoyed the emotive power of the words. In the poem ‘To 36 A Calf', the emotional power of a stillbirth on the mother cow is gently expressed and the effect on this reader was powerfully moving and made more powerful by the hinted unimportance, to mankind, of a cow's feelings. I also enjoyed the puzzles and mystery of Paul's poetry. There are new words to think about and lines to read again while questioning the meaning. Questions and mysteries of love and loss are not to be solved but to be reflected on as part of the human experience. The question which asks the meaning of deep relationships which were experienced many years ago must be a common reflection for most people. When this and other deep questions about relationships are expressed in beautiful lines of rhythmically coherent words the sound becomes even more deeply evocative and meaningful. These are lines which must chime with every person's experiences. In conclusion, while reading Paul's book I experienced new information, excursions, descriptions, moments of powerful meaning, moments of mystery, and puzzles of love, life and loss. Well written Paul.