Domestic Verses review

Poem of the Day, Glasgow Herald Jan 8th, 2006

An affectionate portrait of a family pet, with, in the last verse, a touch of chillness about human responsibility and the limits of feeling. It comes from Olivia McMahon's poetry pamphlet Domestic Verses (Koo Press, £3.50)

Lesley Duncan

Sphinx Magazine Issue 4 August 2006 ISSN 1747 - 5678

REVIEW:
 

DOMESTIC VERSES—OLIVIA MCMAHON
Koo Press, 2006 £3.50
 

I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE TEA with Olivia McMahon. I expect she would serve nice tea—Assam, perhaps—and in bone china with a proper teapot. I make these assumptions entirely on the basis of reading her pamphlet Domestic Verses, published by Koo Press at £3.50.
 

Although far from strident, McMahon’s voice comes through very strongly. Her poetry is precise, thoughtful and carefully turned, sometimes wistful, celebratory, sensuous, and often playful, as in the first poem, ‘Not Waving but Beckoning’. She comes across as someone with a mature sensibility, self-assured and with a fine eye for detail. She is conversational; wry.
 

At her best, she captures images delicately in a bare handful of words. In ‘The Return’,

Nylon stockings are hanging from the mantelpiece
like votives, anchored by inkpots,
and I’m upon my knees,
ironing on the threadbare carpet.

This is evocative and poignant stuff, delivered in the plainest language. In ‘The White Peacock Feather’ she describes the “fuzz of soft down, the lateral laminae/ like the undone laces on a lady’s corset”. Mmm—it’s enough to get me going.
 

If I have a problem, it’s with the domestic nature of the poems. The pamphlet’s title announces this in triplicate and reinforces it with tea-towel-graphic pictures on the cover. Inside we find crab apples, cows, rabbits, onions. I looked hopefully for her to subvert this. I’m not sure that she does.
 

Some poems do suggest a loosely feminist agenda. A few, such as ‘Nameless’ and ‘Wifely Support’ spell it out too much and lose power for it. More potent is ‘In the Funeral Home’, a poem in the form of dialogue between undertaker and widow. This is darker, stronger stuff, spare and understated and much the better for it. More like this and I’ll be inspired to join her for something stronger than tea.


Hilary Menos

The Common Reader says of Domestic Verses: The kitchen theme cover seemed just right for the title. I got off to a good start with this collection and it just got better as I read on. From cheerful poems like 'The Sea The Sea' to the poignant 'East Timor, September 1999', I loved them all.