Sandra Marchetti’s debut collection of poems, “Confluence,” is an intimate and carefully wrought look at longing and the relationship between person and place. In the opening poem, “Never-Ending Birds,” Marchetti establishes some of the themes that will reoccur throughout her collection. In this poem the divide between the narrator and the birds she observes is blurred: “I plume to watch, freshed in the ground;/ they ring the trees as their own/ sweet planets” and “… The swallows so close, beat; I let them scrim/my stance, twist neatly solar./ I swallow, lift my chest where the freckles/ crack, where wet wings gleam.”
While Marchetti revisits this notion of borders and merging throughout her collection, her precise and emotional language prevents the poems from ever becoming redundant. She is a powerful writer without any of the pomp that sometimes sneaks into a voice so emotional and moving. And there are lines in this book that I am still turning over in my head, whether because of their sharp and often crushing observation or their simple beauty. One example of the former is the opening stanza in “The Waters of Separation,” where Marchetti writes, “Laugh with me here/ on the faster side/ of forever.”
In “Autumn Damask” the narrator reflects on the landscape of her home, the Midwest and the peace of belonging somewhere: “Comfort is when/ you are tethered/ to a place/you could move/ fast from anyway.” Marchetti explains to me in an online conversation her goal as a poet and why the Midwest plays such a significant role in this collection: “Many poets are making an argument, or drawing attention to the injustices of the world. I’m seeking pleasure, looking oftentimes for beauty. That’s what happened in ‘Confluence.’ Once I was away from the Midwestern landscape that I loved, I was better able to praise it, to appreciate it.”
Marchetti also explains the relationship she sees between poetry and music: “There are few songwriters I truly think of as poets, but that list might include Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie most especially. Also, Bob Dylan and Madeleine Peyroux. There are some rappers I would most definitely consider poets, including Kanye West and maybe The Notorious B.I.G.” This collection certainly seems to have a musicality or rhythm to it that is perhaps the result of the influence of the aforementioned artists. In fact, it is difficult to read “Confluence” silently. Lines like this one from her poem “Canopy” just sort of ache to be whispered out loud: “Recognize me unbudded,/ in green-tinctured/ powder puff pink:/ a carnation’s crumple.”
The “speak-ability” of Marchetti’s poetry is something others have noticed as well: “Folks have often told me my poetry seems akin to spoken word (maybe it’s the same category, really?) because I am a performative poet when I read aloud. I always read aloud during the drafting process, and usually end up memorizing my poems as I write and polish them up.”
In the end, this is a lovely collection of poetry that will resonate with anyone who ever felt knitted to a place. (Kim Steele)
Confluence By Sandra Marchetti Sundress Publications, 82 pages, $14
On July 26, Marchetti leads the Rhino Poetry Forum Workshop at the Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington, Evanston, 1:30pm. Free. On July 31, Marchetti reads from “Confluence” for Rhino Reads! at Brothers K Coffee House, 500 Main, Evanston, 6pm. Free.
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