Alchemy by Rae Spencer

 

I was asked to review this book a while ago and I started reading it immediately, but have only just finished it because after almost every poem I had to put the book aside to think about what I'd just read. 

Divided into sections that mirror the sections of a scientific report (Introduction, Methodologies, Results, Discussion, Conclusion) this is an ambitious second collection from US veterinarian and poet Rae Spencer. Covering a wide range of topics from science, it is thought-provoking, beautifully written and well worth reading slowly so you can savour the words. 

From the opening poem 'Expansion' which uses Alice in Wonderland to explore ideas around space and time, the reader is taken on a scientific adventure. Charles Darwin is quoted in Means of Dispersal which looks at his scientific studies of seeds.  The poems also question science, in Progress, makes the point that the search for the Unified Theory of Everything 'doesn't postulate / Why we need to know / Everything'. My House is On Fire beautifully compares ladybirds to constellations 'an ambling zodiac of seven spots'. Pelagic Study looks at shoals of fish: 'schooled in the notion / that same means safe'.

As well as the poet's eye and ear for a memorable phrase, I particularly admire her use of enjambment, where the meaning runs on and changes subtly from one line to the next, here's just one example from Luminiferous Ether, which is about the ether that early scientists proposed as the substance that carried light:

galactic coordinates and mapped
against math 

where the reader imagines one meaning for mapped when reading the first line alone, but the context changes as you read the next line. 

Other poems examine or speculate about a wealth of biological and othe scientific topics including: early human ancestors, cave art and the evolution of human communication, fungal communication, animal instincts and the life cycles of cicadas. 

This would be a wonderful Christmas gift for any scientifically minded poetry fans out there, and for those who aren't scientifically minded it may well ignite an interest in the sciences. 

Alchemy by Rae Spencer, published by Kelsay Books (2024)

** 

Alchemy includes the poem The Plume, which was first published on Bolts of Silk, the poetry journal that I used to edit.

Disclaimer: I was sent a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.  

Read my review of Rae's debut collection Watershed here. 

It's been Snowing!

We hadn't been quite sure whether to believe the forecast for snow, but it did snow yesterday. We were determined to get out there and enjoy the snow while it lasted, but all the buses in Edinburgh were cancelled by the time we left the flat, so we contented ourselves with a walk round North Merchiston Cemetery, which looked lovely in the snow. 

Frosty Leaves

It was -5 this morning! That's cold! Slightly later in the day, when it had warmed up to -1, I took these frosty photos in a local park on the way to teaching a haiku class.

Crows and Flowers on Arthur's Seat

We had a lovely walk around Arthur's Seat yesterday. 

 The sky was wonderful, changing from this blue, decorated with delicate clouds 

to this overcast sky with the clouds lower down being lit up beautifully by the sun 

The Ravens were very noticeable, calling loudly as they flew around and being mobbed by large numbers of Jackdaws. The bird in the lower part of the photo below is a Raven, the others are Jackdaws

Both these birds are crows, the Raven is the largest of the crow family and uncommon in Scotland, though they nest on Arthur's Seat. Jackdaws are common, small crows with greyish heads and white eyes. 

There were a surprising number of flowers blooming around the hill, including Knapweed

Yarrow 

and Viper's Bugloss

Autumn Colour and Fungi along the Water of Leith

 I was pleased to find these fungi in Craiglockart Dells, alongside the Water of Leith. 

Oyster fungi 

 

Purple Disc Fungi

 

The autumn colours are still beautiful, although most of the leaves have fallen from many of the trees, we've had some high winds in the past couple of weeks. 

The light was beautiful too, giving the leaves a wonderful glow.

 

Swans on the River, Rabbits on the Golf Course

On Saturday we walked from Haymarket to Corstorphine, taking the scenic route, which includes Carrick Knowe Golf course and the Water of Leith. We watched this Mute Swan and it's companion Mallards swimming along the river

and three female Goosanders were sitting on rocks in the river, though we couldn't get all of them into the photo

 The golf course has a wooded perimeter path, which was looking beautiful

There's a rabbit warren somewhere in the golf course and often you can see lots of rabbits, but on Saturday we only saw this cute young bunny, who let us get fairly close before hopping away into the undergrowth

Wood Blewit Toadstool

 I was very happy to find this toadstool in Craiglockart Dell alongside the Water of Leith today. It's a Wood Blewit, quite easy to recognise with it's purple colour (though there are other purple fungi). 

 

 

Autumn Colour in Saughton Park

 We enjoyed the autumnal colours in Edinburgh's Saughton Park yesterday. Here are some of the highlights: