I attended my first book launch on Sunday, and it was fantastic. The after-party wasn’t too bad either — I like hanging out with intelligent, cultured people. 
The event launched the second book of poetry by my friend Erin Noteboom. It’s called SEAL UP THE THUNDER, and the content is inspired by the Bible. Quite simply, it’s a superb piece of work: moving, funny, melancholy, and with a depth that can’t be measured in fathoms.
Plus, when Erin reads her poetry, she does so with a soft cadence that lulls the listener into a quieter, gentler world…and she did it while suffering the dregs of a nasty flu. Bravo!
You can visit Erin’s website here. My personal favourite poem in the collection is the Acta Thomae — one of the first poems by Erin that I ever read. However, at the book launch, I was introduced to another poem that struck a chord with me. It’s called Delilah, on contradictions, and I include it here as a taste of the book (copyright to Erin’s genious):
He burned my country
and I loved him. I betrayed him
and he stayed. He killed my brothers
and I held him. I betrayed him
and he stayed. What’s between us
I can’t tell you — musk and lust,
a lion’s skin, dark mane tangled
with the tawny, blood and honey
on the wind. I cut his hair
because he told me, I loved him soft,
I loved him hard — so I broke him
with a razor, wove his hair
into my heart.
This deserves a Governor-General Award. Sure, I’m biased, but it doesn’t stop the book from being absolutely stunning. Buy it NOW!
