Cold Snack, Janet Charman (Auckland University Press, 2007) ISBN 9781869403805
Keith Nunes
Respected Auckland poet Janet Charman's sixth book of poetry, Cold Snack, is an appealing and absorbing work.
The charming Charman approaches her poetry with zest and skill. She is not afraid to allow you into her life and thoughts and takes time out to show you she is contemplating her next move and arriving at imperfect answers to fathomless questions. She is relaxed with her art - no wonder, her first work was published in 1985 and she has continued to impress ever since.
This latest collection is laid out in three parts showing the reader - if you like - a three dimensional character. Each part is a singular look into her realm. Part one deals with the trials and tribulations of her new life as a school teacher; her daily routines and the emotions that she is sometimes saddled with. A trained nurse, she changed to teaching mid-life and this first section throws light onto what it means to take a gamble.
Part two is a one long poem-look at a part of New Zealand history (the 1980s) from the unusual and interesting standpoint of a TV newsroom's telephone receptionist. This is an often amusing and jaunty view of the underbelly of Kiwi life:
"During the Springbok tour demonstrations
because I had to get to work
I could leave all the action before any arrestable offence
was asked of me/which was a huge relief."
Part three - arguably the most intimate and progressive of the three - is where Charman really lets her imagination go and it contains a number of powerful works including the poem which gives its name to the book -
"a hint of blue
through the egg's white coat
runs golden on the plate
under foot the sodden turf
gulls above
in the weather
a winter palace
with spoke trees
and granite steps
i'll break a hip
one day
ascending these
in time
the hours come
in dark
in in."
('Cold Snack')
In 'the sock of the self' she deals with loss:
"I get up
unasked
and dress
in my get ups
yet find
in the casual progress
of death
a piece of myself
unknit."
She is often subtle and understated and possesses a finely tuned sense of humour. Her imagery is tantalizing and can sweep you up with its momentum. In 'fish and chips' she says:
"Let me be old
and wear my bones
inside out
as if they
were journeying
somewhere
without
me."
Like a quality poet, in 'Wake Up To Yourself' she conjures up two distinct images in quick succession and makes them work together:
"Darkness
dispersing
the sky
fills
with
light
the heavy weight
of a hollow boat
leaves
my heart."
Cold Snack is a fine collection of works penned by one of New Zealand's leading poets. I enjoyed it immensely.
