four poems by Peter Grandbois, issue 22

10/27/22: Into the Archives staff member Jasmine Venegas on three poems by Peter Grandbois

Peter Grandbois is a writer of poems, stories, essays, and plays. His work has appeared in over one hundred journals and his plays have been brought to life in St. Louis, Columbus, Los Angeles, and New York. He teaches at Denison University in Ohio and is the Poetry Editor for Boulevard. Four of Grandbois’s poems; “[Last night I aged a hundred years],” “[Sometimes when I wake],” “[So small this word, a cloud],” and “Where even the wind” were published by Prism Review in our twenty-second issue and offer a personified perspective of the world through nature.

Grandbois’s poems carry a beautiful quietness to them in the way that the language is chosen to fit the tone of the poem. There is mention of many aspects of nature such as birds, leaves, wind, oceans, and more that all work together to create a quiet image of what it is to be human. These poems have metaphorical language that connect to nature and is what makes this batch of poetry unique. For instance, in “Where even the wind,” there is a stanza that depicts a connection of language and nature: “Imagine unknotting/ The owl’s breath/ That binds us/ To longing.” Through effective diction, Grandbois is able to offer the reader a visualization of this connection and feel the atmosphere the poem is creating. Sound play and imagination go hand in hand in his poetry
that can be seen in “[So small this word, a cloud]” :

So small this word, a cloud.

So light this tiny curl

of flesh, so bright this day

as yet unexploded.

The use of repetition and the details of a cloud help the beginning of this poem generate a peaceful, steady rhythm that stays consistent and focused on until the end. The rest of the poem follows with multiple couplets and single lines that give this poem an airy feel with the intentional absence of language that doesn’t challenge the atmosphere that the poem is creating. Grandbois’s poems are not heavy with language, however his word choice is clearly intentional, effective, and influences readers and their emotions to question their existence.

Form is not an element that stands out, but that does not mean these poems are not holding enough to be considered successful. The form is traditional and familiar in the way that the poems consist of couplets and four-line stanzas. In terms of the way the poems look, they are quite simple with strong language and word choice. One thing that stands out when looking at these poems is the use of enjambment. In all four poems, the end words finish a line with resonance and the next line helps support what is previously written. The diction comes into focus along with enjambment as well because of how strong the language reads throughout all of these poems. For example, in “[Last night I aged a hundred years],” the cycle of day and night is questioned through the voice of the poem that asks, “And how to lie awake in disapproving/ Silence and not feel the hours of torn.” This is a good example of Grandbois’s use of two main poetic elements; tone and impact.

Many aspects are used in this batch of writing; sound, detail, imagination, tone, and diction, they all work together effectively to be unique and memorable. It is through Peter Grandbois’s poetry that readers are able to wonder about the cycles of humanity and the pain and beauty that comes along with it.