Myra here.
I am glad to be joining the Poetry Friday community this week with a poetry book that fits our current reading theme quite nicely: Scarred Souls and Bloodstained Memories – Tales of War and Poetry, Refuge and Peace.
Our host this week is Margaret from Reflections on the Teche.
I first heard of this book during the AFCC Masterclass session that I moderated on Talking Books conducted by Leonard Marcus and Marjorie Coughlan here at the National Library in Singapore for the Asian Festival of Children’s Content this year. And I know I have to find this book for myself.
There are 26 poems in this collection written by acclaimed poet, Tony Johnston. Each page is filled with luminous paintings by Susan Guevara. In the jacketflap of the book Tony Johnston noted this:
Over three days and nights, the poems in Voice from Afar came pouring out. Though some are poems of grief, most are poems of hope.
This is a book that has moved me deeply. We have been featuring quite a number of posts that deal with the devastation of war, the plight of refugees, and the constant fear and uncertainty brought about by being in the thick of armed conflict. In just a few carefully-selected words, with a deft turn of phrase, and a plaintive question humming through his verse, Johnston managed to capture longing, helplessness, and despair with burnt ashes, a jaunty greeting “Salaam”, and sweet lentils.
What I find particularly powerful in this collection is how seemingly-mundane and innocuous imagery such as “Plastic Shoes” or a resilient little rosebush as seen in the poem “Survival” can evoke such depth of compassion. There is a flutter of a singing bird in the heart, nearly imperceptible, but a quiet peep nonetheless that trills “Hope.” There is blue feathered magnitude in the poems here that can not be contained as Johnston cries out “Let none of them go unsung” as seen in the poem “When a Bus Exploded.”
I was also struck by how Susan Guevara described her paintings here as found in the jacketflap of the book:
“It was an act of trust to paint this book, trust in Tony’s powerful words, trust in the creative process.”
The muted colours, the texture, the subtle shades, the jagged lines, and the amorphous imagery all serve to make Johnston’s voice even more translucent in this book. I took a photo of two poems that resonated with me deeply to share with you dear friends this week, as I felt they captured that sense of peace quite distinctly.
If you have not read this book yet, I hope it finds its way to you soon in feathered wings and fairy dust.
Voice from Afar: Poems of Peace by Tony Johnston and Paintings by Susan Guevara. Published by Holiday House, 2008. Book borrowed from the Jurong West Public Library. Book photos taken by me.
Gathering Books 
It looks beautiful, Myra, and touches us today with the news recently. There was a post on FB about a girl retrieving her books from the rubble of her home-so sad to see & think of her life now. Thank you!
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Oh, Myra. Thank you for sharing this beautiful book. What else can save us but poetry and art like this?
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Written in three days? Whoa. Those are gorgeous paintings — a perfect pairing.
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Thanks for introducing us to Scarred Souls and Bloodstained Memories. I will definitely look for this important book. = )
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The poems are gut wrenching and timely, yet hope-filled. What we need for today to carry us through.
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Thanks for sharing such moving poems–the words and art help lessen the distance of “people are dying in far places.”
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This book looks amazing, Myra. Thank you for sharing it.
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You find such special books, Myra! That artwork is stunningly beautiful — the cover especially.
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It looks like a beautiful book, Myra, and a timely one. “Among the Sequoias” reminded me that we can sometimes find peace when we get outside, in the woods and wild places.
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I’ve just caught up with this post, Myra – I think I was on holiday when you published it! I remember you were taken with this book and I love how you’ve written about it. It is so, so special.
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