In the Absence of...

 

I've only met Violet Chevasco a few times, notably some sixteen years ago, when I first returned to Gibraltar. I can't remember quite how our meeting came about but we sat together at a café in Casemates and talked about poetry for ages. We corresponded with each other for a while, exchanged drafts of our poems and words of encouragement. I was rather in awe of Violet, of her quiet humility which belied the intensive bursts of creativity which have resulted in this book. Above all, I was a huge admirer of her poetry.

So it was with utter delight that I received news that she had finally, despite very serious illness and with the help of Calpe Press' Dr Jennifer Ballantine Perera, published a selection of her works.

I picked up a copy a little before the actual launch of the book, which sadly, because of her continuing ill health, had to take place sans the author. It's a lovely little volume. I still love to read proper paper publications. It's the tactile nature of paper, the texture, the feel, the smell, all of these are part of the reading experience. In the Absence of...Poetry and Prose ticks all the sensory boxes: textured cover, lovely colour on the cover design, good quality paper, pleasant layout; it works well to get you in the mood for reading.

If writers are weavers of words and with them we can weave anything from layers of silk to richly decorated tapestries, then Violet Chevasco is a master of lacemaking, deft strokes twisting and turning threads of meaning into delicate cloth. As a poet, Violet has a light touch, some of her poems like Will o' the Wisps, enticing you into a dream world which is barely tangible, ephemeral landscapes illustrated with the finest of brushstrokes but which depict the world of human emotions and the poet's observations of the world about her. Here's just a tiny example, Luces:

"Luces intermitentes, en la lejanía

Danzan,

Y en su lecho de negrura

Se deslizan olas largas,

Que se arrastran, susurrando

Donde la orilla la alcanza."

I am not going to write a critical analysis of these poems; that is very much for those with greater learning than I, but it is this sort of poem that perhaps should form part of local literature lessons, exemplary as it is for how sound and rhythm can be worked together to enhance meaning.

As I read through this anthology, I was struck by the lingering melancholy of some of the poems. These are sparsely drawn moments of deep introspection, a window to the heart and mind of the poet, or perhaps, they are more of a mirror so that we can look into our own, which is precisely the function of good poetry.

I particularly liked the section called Proverbs. Not quite haikus, but similarly short and delivering maximum impact in few words, these came across as little nuggets of wisdom, such as No. 7 from Proverbios de La Palabra:

"Todas las palabras

Que contienen una idea,

Si no las sabes sentir,

Seguirán siendo palabras,

Pero nunca un poema."

I also particularly liked some of the poems where there are glimpses of what might be Gibraltar and the surrounding countryside through Violet's eyes, observations of landscape, nature or experience, such as this, Camp Bay:

"Shadows,

All shades and darkness

Of shadows,

Throwing triangular shapes

Onto a background

Of lime stone and greens

Jutting out,

Barnacled stones

Beneath the rocks,

The sea."

This and other poems that touch on landscape provide an anchor of familiarity on which the reader can hang their own experiences and relate to those presented by the poem. I was also pleased to catch a glimpse of the world through the lens of a Gibraltarian woman and her individual vision.

I did find that I could not read the anthology in one sitting, which I am prone to do with an anthology of poetry if it's reasonably slim. Many of the poems in this collection are melancholy and some dwell or darker thoughts, and it was not difficult to become a little overwhelmed by bleakness. Not that the poems are not good, they are, but they are also too dark to digest in one go. There are also some formatting issues, occasional typos (we are all prone to that so I'm not picking fights here!) and some Spanish accents missing. To some this is not an issue, to me these omissions can change sound and meaning and jar. Hopefully, second editions of this book will eradicate those.

Having said that, there was a flow to the way the book was constructed concluded by the collection of Proverbs as the end was approached. I found it a good book for dipping into, picking out delicious little bursts of words to savour their meaning, their sounds, their feel in the mouth - because some of these are perfect for reading aloud.

Overall the collection is introspective, and talks a good deal about loss, absence, especially lost love, about disappointment in life, detachment, visibility or lack of, perhaps alluding to the poet's own life experiences, although we can never really know what is in a poet's mind when they write or what they intend to reveal. That is part of the joy of poetry, the having to derive meaning that is yours and yours alone from the words of others. Good poems don't dictate what to think, they point out possibilities, open up pathways to meaning and then let you find your own path through them. I think Violet's poems fully achieve this.

I want to just mention choice of language. I think the majority of these poems are in Spanish, although I haven't counted them, but Violet shows skill in both languages. I also think I prefer the Spanish ones, perhaps their sounds work better, perhaps it's in how they convey meaning; I will need to reread the book to decide. In any case, this book is a class example of how Gibraltar must keep alive its languages. Imagine future generations of Gibraltarians missing out on these poems just because we have neglected their linguistic education? Violet Chevasco's collection should be on reading lists for our students and I highly recommend getting hold of a copy and dipping in regularly.

A final word for my favourite line of the whole collection:

"En la ausencia

De lo que nunca logré,

Quiero ahora

Florecer,"

In this book, Violet Chevasco's poetry has come to full flower.

Image courtesy of asundermeier via Pixabay