Songs for a Summons

Like those of Robert Frost—or Tu Fu—David Guterson’s poems often find transcendence in the natural world, in particular the mountain ranges and island landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. But his sources are many - history, literature, contemporary culture - and what unites this fine debut collection of poetry is not limited to place. It is, instead, an acutely honed awareness, one that takes us from a spent match head’s black thorn to a contemplation of the emptiness of form: “When the last leaf is off the tree / celebrate illusion".