Cemetery
poetry may be an odd concept for mainstay readers, but for those of us who are
“tombstone tourists,” this genre offers a refreshing look into our clandestine indulgences
and interests.
Next Door To The Dead is Kathleen Driskell’s
latest book; one I found to be irresistible. It takes an understanding of the taboos
associated with writing about death, along with true empathy and respect for
those living and dead to write poems brimming with thoughtfulness, heartbreak
and humor. Driskell introduces us to her “neighbors” in a very matter-of-fact way
because after 20 years of living next door to the cemetery, they are indeed the neighbors
she’s gotten to know.
Driskell
does what many of us do, wanders the cemetery in search of solace, solitude, and
stories that may or may not be true, but her offerings tug at our heartstrings
just the same. The poem Infant Girl
Smithfield leaves the reader aching to comfort a stillborn child while the
waiting tension in What Haunts is
something most of us have felt when viewing the desecration cemetery vandals have left behind. 
We listen
in to Tchaenhotep, an Egyptian mummy whose every-day existence was thwarted in death by an odd fame; she is now on display
in a local museum.
In Lament for the Crow, Driskell bids us to pause beside
her, considering the demise of a crow and the affect it has among his resident flock.
The
author is an expert at unraveling the secrets and stories buried in
the local graveyard, and by invoking the voices of the dead, she
shares her personal folklore about them in
prose that will return to haunt you as you meander through a graveyard.
Next Door To The Dead will entice those who have no interest in cemeteries to hesitantly tag along,
and in the process, captivate their imaginations. Taphophiles will find the fact
that Driscoll can put into words those thoughts we’ve all had while
searching and reflecting in a quiet cemetery, extraordinary. And most tombstone tourists will agree, that is both enlightening, and enchanting.
~ Joy
About the Author:
 |
| Kathleen Driskell |
Kathleen
Driskell is
associate editor of the Louisville Review and professor of creative
writing at Spalding University, where she also helps direct the low-residency
MFA in Writing program. She is the author of numerous books and collections,
including Laughing Sickness and Seed across Snow.
Book Details:
Next Door To The Dead by Kathleen Driscoll
Published
by University Press of Kentucky (2015)
