In This Thin Rain by Nelson Ball is a compilation of carefully wrought poems that are as precise as they are beautiful. Ball's reverence for the natural world resonates throughout this book. Nothing escapes the author's gaze, from the tiniest centipede to billowing snowdrifts. I must confess that for a number of years I avoided reading nature poetry altogether. When I was in my twenties, it was repeatedly drummed in to me that all Canadian poetry must automatically be about rocks, trees or babies. Weary of that chestnut being trotted out ad nauseum whenever the subject of poetry came up, I developed an aversion to any poem about wilderness and the natural world. In This Thin Rain proves no subject matter should be verboten for a writer (or for the reader). I am duly chastened for my shortsighted and childish preconceptions. I'll read nature poetry galore if written like this - elegant and ranging in tone from wistful and slightly melancholy to whimsical. The poems of Nelson Ball are devoid of any sort of poetry cliche. These poems have a crystalline clarity to them and a divine simplicity.
In an age where many of us have become curators of our lives (via social media) rather than participants, it is
inspiring to see such scrupulous observation of the natural world. The banal is transformed into the miraculous. In This Thin Rain reveals a writer who is fully present. You won't find a single superfluous word anywhere in this slim volume. No object or creature is too ordinary to be overlooked. This is writing pared down to its absolute essence. Aspiring poets
would do well to study In This Thin Rain to learn how to condense imagery.
You can get a lot of emotional heft from a few words, meticulously placed.
Stark can be striking.
I don't know how I managed to get this far
without ever delighting in the unique poetry of Nelson Ball. In This Thin Rain
is published by Mansfield Press.
