VIET NAM: a poem journey  Jenny Powell (HeadworX, 2010) RRP $24.99 ISBN 978-0-473-14361-9
Gill Ward

Jenny Powell is an established New Zealand poet with 5 previous collections. She is well skilled at her art and this book of poems is tight and strong. It is a nicely presented book with photos interspersed to give a pictorial reference to her words.

When I first read about this collection I thought it was peculiar to write a whole book describing a country you had ‘only visited in your imagination', as Powell wrote in her introduction. Although the book did nothing to disabuse me of this notion, I did enjoy the poems. I liked the way Jenny mapped her imaginary journey. She chose her words carefully and thoughtfully to convey her love (and should I say longing?) for a country to which she had never been.

It is stylish and at times emotional volume, always balancing energy with peace and a narrative of colour and movement, vegetation, crowds, heat, bustle and the smells and sights of a country new and strange but somehow known.

I felt it was all there, Viet Nam and a smattering of Aotearoa.

The section of the book that drew me in most convincingly was our introduction to the arrival of a Vietnamese music teacher, Hao, who came to live with Jenny for his stay in New Zealand. The description of a somewhat bewildered stranger in a strange land is gentle and moving.

This whole book is two things: first it is a love song for Viet Nam, meticulously set on each page, and secondly it is indisputably a travel book. If you have visited Viet Nam you will identify strongly with each poem. They will take you back there. Having said that, I found it hard to separate myself from the impression that I was watching a slide show with Jenny telling me these things from her slide show - not from her visit. She set herself a hard task. I feel that she achieved it for the most part because of her delicate writing and her light touch with words. She did not overwrite these poems; they are a lovely tribute to Viet Nam, its beauty and its people. I am certain that Hao would have been affected when he read them. It is a poignant and sensitive piece of work and I admire Jenny for completing such a brave assignment.

Jenny Powell is a strong figure in the New Zealand poetry scene. I hope she comes to Wellington some time soon and gives us fair warning so we can suggest she reads for poetry lovers in the capital. And I hope she gets a chance to visit Viet Nam soon.

This is a book of poetry you will want to read more than once.

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