We Contain Landscapes
Neuroscientists speculate that humans might have thirty or more senses, and we speculate that Patrycja Humienik’s acute sense of longing for a place that no longer exists on a map affects the way she perceives all the others. She is an immigrant daughter fielding questions from generations of ancestors and this debut collection answers affirmatively: “I hear you.” In addition to her MFA studies at UW-Madison, Patrycja conducts writing and movement workshops in prisons and elsewhere.
The Pipe Organ
When mass was over
I’d turn my gaze from the altarand look up
to see where the music came fromPressurized air sculpts
a resonant pitchI live not naming what I want
which means I am a cowardTimbre of the unsaid
flushing the house with worshipAvoiding great pleasure
to avoid great painis a kind of obedience
antithetical to music
Reviewed by
Matt Sutherland
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
