New Skin
Fraser Mackay
AUD $12.50 - Free Postage Worldwide
When I first came across Fraser Mackay's wry ruminations I liked how they were rooted in place and gave off an air of hardy, solitary manhood: somewhere, in Central Victoria, among granite and magpies, there's a joint in a wide paddock; the horse has been fed by hand and a cold rain is heading in from the West; maybe, tonight, a loving friend will show with a good red; then again, maybe she won't. Easefully, a poem starts up, one that knows just when to open its mouth, and when to go quiet. You get a sense that the poet is on the path of learning about what Robert Adamson has called ‘the clean dark.'
Barry Hill | 'New Skin' deals with sacred matters of the heart, the earth, life, death, love, irony, and humor; all subject matter that Fraser Mackay seems quite comfortable with. His strength is that he can evoke emotion without relying on overt sentimentality. He allows the words and language to do his work for him. Mackay is also able to take a common theme and make it uncommon by surprising us with his language and unexpected observations. He is able to combine overt minimalism with sharp wit and he pulls it off, not only without guile, but without any manner of superficiality, as well, which is extraordinary.
What is also refreshing about this work is that there is no annihilation of the self, or the individual consciousness, especially as an aspect of mystical experience. Instead, it is incredibly optimistic and gives the reader a feeling of hope in spite of the obvious heaviness of some of the poems. It's rare to find a good poet who doesn't wallow in the nihilism, use the seduction of the negative to pull the reader into the work as is so popular, dare I say ubiquitous, in today's free and experimental verse, as well as in the prose poem. Mackay avoids this by moving through the pastoral with classical ease while maintaining a spirit of modern enlightenment and passion. There is an obvious joy working in the depths of every poem.
This collection speaks to the tender relationships between good friends and lovers, to our humanity, and to both our connectedness, and disconnectedness with the earth and with one another. Mackay explores melancholy, introspection, loss, love, and desire, as well as our link with the sacred, supernatural powers of life as we experience it, and as it experiences us. The poems 'Within Reach', 'In An Abstract Corner', 'Caught by The River' and 'Disconnected' to name a few, show the breadth and width of his compassion for, and understanding of the human condition and our multifaceted visions of infinity itself. Overall, it is an extraordinary read and well worth delving into the mysteries and the delicate beauty of each and every verse.
Justin Lee Brown
Los Angeles, California
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