Gold Wake Press, 2011
e-books, 6 pp. ea.
The Sights and Sounds of Arctic Birds is a series of poems that appear on Gold Wake Press’ website as an e-chapbook. Right away, the title introduces a mood of loneliness and a hostile environment. Vitoria balances scenes of natural violence with descriptions of a character dealing with grief and loss. The nature imagery reveals the pathetic fallacy of this woman, as the actions and deaths of the animals, the changes in weather, all mirror the dark mood of the character. In section i(a) of page 2, she says, “Predation has something to do with this. The shortening of Autumn days.” The ‘this’ is thus far unspecified, but Vitoria’s description adds to the unforgiving mood. In section ii of page 2, Vitoria states, “ she says grief passes in exactly six months and you emerge cleansed. She draws a circle in the snow with a stick, there are no real stages, it is not methodized like feathers.” Again, the identity of the ‘she’ is unspecified, but this simply adds to the mood of alienation.
Vitoria’s language is quite vivid. Structurally, she mostly foregoes complete sentences in favor of focusing purely on the images. Again, this reinforces the tone. As the female character becomes more forlorn in section ii, “She digs a hole in the snow, sets a fire, for burning letters. Sorrow from her hair.” There is a turn, here, as the descriptions of the natural world become much more animated. In section ii (a) of page 6, Vitoria writes, “Kestrels scavenge near the standing water. Their colors too brilliant for crypsis.” Finally, in section iii of page 6, the birds break free of the winter doldrums, “Tonight, the Larks migrate. Exaltation I am not ready for.” And, in section iii(a), the female character is left with, simply, “Distressed songs. Rain.”
Random Cartography Notes is also a series of poems that appear on Gold Wake Press’ website as an e-chapbook. Cartography is the study of, and making of, maps. In these poems, Vitoria is mapping out ways to live a life. She begins the first section with an image of the delicacy of beauty and the importance of preserving and appreciating it: “ pick & gather figs /take care not to damage thin//silver skin.” She continues with the topic of advice which should act as a guide: “what your mother has not taught you/ your father will take//gather only what your hands can carry.”
In the second section, Vitoria introduces religious imagery, another supposed guide, which seems to do little. The narrator describes herself as “an attic…[with] no house beneath you.” She concludes, powerless, that her “numbness” is a “limbless horse.” Nothing seems to be of help. “You will not remember how to cross the river” she states in section 5. “Or decipher plump veins/ from kindness.” She has lost her cartography skills. Finally, she concludes, “you will want to take a city home with you & ruin it.” Here, she has completely left behind the idea of studying and learning in favor of the anger of confusion and alienation.
In these two series, Vitoria has crafted compelling portraits of women at odds with their environments. In well-crafted, stripped-down poems, Vitoria has delved into the hearts of these characters. I very much look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
CL Bledsoe is the author of the young adult novel, Sunlight, two poetry collections, _____(Want/Need), and Anthem, and a short story collection called Naming the Animals. A poetry chapbook, Goodbye to Noise, is available online at www.righthandpointing.com/bledsoe. A minichap, Texas, was published by Mud Luscious Press. His story, "Leaving the Garden," was selected as a Notable Story of 2008 for Story South's Million Writer's Award. He’s been nominated for the Pushcart Prize three times. He blogs at Murder Your Darlings. Bledsoe has written reviews for The Hollins Critic, The Arkansas Review, American Book Review, The Pedestal Magazine, and elsewhere.
