"Object Permanence" by Anne Berkeley

Poems from "And Other Poems", "Magma", "The North", "Under the Radar", etc. The poems are roughly grouped into themes - family, garden/nature, memories of school, arts, jobs, objects/events that trigger memories, etc. When she read from her book on 1st Mar, 2026 I think she read p.11, 13, 32, 46, 50, 64, and 68.

Notes: Kettle's Yard (p.35) is the Cambridge house of a late art collector that can be visited (closed on Mondays, though people may still be inside). "Mary's" (p.43) is the name of the greengrocer's in Sawston, near Cambridge. The bowser on the cover (and on p.68) is near the Sawston bypass.

Forms: Though she doesn't often use forms they're apt when she does. "Breaking news" is a loose villanelle. Until I read the notes I didn't realise that "Missing (for Roland)" is a lipogram - 6 stanzas, each missing a letter. I think the missing letters spell "roland".

When an object is removed from view then reappears, adults assume it's the same object. Babies don't. Picasso wished he could draw like a child, and poets like to see the world as if for the first time - after all, you can't jump into the same river twice. When an object is still remembered after years, it might have significance, though we may not be aware of the meaning. It may just be a bookmark showing us where to return when we're ready to understand. In nearly all these poems, memory is reliable. What does change is the interpretation.

• The person remembering in "You only live twice" realises something that they didn't realise at the time (something that readers soon suspect, so it's revealing that the persona didn't realise).
• In "My first trip abroad" the persona knew she should be thrilled. "The photograph is the proof. I smiled./ I remember, and I don't remember/ being there and what it felt like, how I felt nothing/ felt as if the smile was a lie and I had failed"
• I've made some notes about 'The bowser'

Other reviews

• Helena Nelson (Anne Berkeley writes about a decrepit old tank like other poets write about love)
• Sheenagh Pugh (This collection delineates various people, including the author, via objects, places and moments that have been important in their lives. ... The one poem where I did feel I didn’t really know what was going on was “Monday at Kettle’s Yard”. ... This is a collection notable for its keen observation)
• D A Prince (a collection centred on looking, watching, observing and remembering)