If poet and novelist Fiona Robyn’s newest book, small stones: a year of moments, could be imagined as a glass of wine, I believe one would detect a strain of Emily Dickinson in the vintner’s mix. Within Fiona’s individual small stones are thought bubbles of spare language, hand–cut with the laser of an unusually observant mind. They capture a moment, and sometimes a world.
This one, for example, from page 51:
“He has slicked back hair and a sharp suit, and takes a photo
of the house before fumbling for a key and letting himself in.
The lady who used to live here wore a headscarf which framed
her heart-shaped fine-boned face. Her body was a dancer’s
body, but tired. She always smiled. They carried her into an
ambulance and she flew away.”
They are deceptively simple and wise, as here, from page 127:
“How to plant bulbs:
Spend a long time flicking through the catalogues: can-can girls,
bright spurts, flouncy flirts, serious dark tulips. Plant the bulbs
in clutches. Splash purple around the bird feeder, ring trees in
yellow, dot red against white walls. Enjoy pushing the plump
promises into the earth. Become a squirrel. Forget where you’ve
planted them at all. Get on with your life.”
Fiona’s vocation as therapist and avocation as gardener have honed her powers of observation (and inclination to observe). Here, one from nature, page 28:
“fat sparrow baubles hang on bare branches
every so often they rearrange themselves"
Fiona’s small stones remind us of what we know but habitually forget: that each moment of life contains within it the universe. Buy the book. It will stick in your mind in such a way that you will remember to see eternity in the coffee beans you ground this morning, the hug of your love still warm from bed, and the golden eye of your chocolate dog as she cocks her head, listening to the sound of kibble on stainless steel.
Stay tuned! Later today and tomorrow, I'll be posting a link to Fiona's newest concept, "a handful of stones," (and her invitation for us all to submit), plus posts on other blogger/authors whose books are on my shelves, a personal meditation on stones, and a small stone of my own. And don't forget to catch Fiona's blogtour at Via Negativa on Thursday, July 17!
