Confluences

Flowing from multiple streams, the poems in Confluences are Allan Briesmaster's most wide-ranging and artistically adventurous work yet. The first of the book's four contrasting parts gives poetic reflections on what has come down to us from ancient times, including the insights of pre-Socratic philosophers such as Thales and Heraclitus. The second, “Impress of Waters,” features diverse encounters with the Canadian eco-scape; while in the third section, a fierce intelligence takes a stern view of climate change and other matters ranging from the anatomy of human emotion to the first moon landing forty years after. In the final section, the creations of eminent writers like Rilke, Alberti, Bonnefoy, and Jaccottet are confronted and drawn from: in a variety of adaptations and homages treating such familiar subjects as friendship, love, and aging in unconventional ways. All of the poems are distinguished by sensuously layered language, virtuosity in form and style, and a questing spirit, both passionate and philosophical.