Book Review: Pearl Stitch (Avra Wing)Reviewed by Avra WingPearl Stitch, the title of Petra Kuppers new book of poetry, might suggest, with its reference to embroidery, that the work inside is somewhat quaint, domestic, stereotypically "womanly. "It is nothing of the sort: it is, instead, intensely passionate. While at times the writing isn't as tight as it could be, Kupper's voice is strong throughout. The poems are a clear and powerful expression of her desire for "Sophia", i.e., knowledge—of herself and her place in the world—which she yearns for as one yearns for a lover. She cries out, "Sophia, let me lie with you. " The poet is, in this volume, searching to understand what it means to be a woman. She asks, "As a woman, what is home? My flesh and my soul?/ What is community amongst women? " In seeking the answer, Kuppers attempts to stitch together the mundane and the spiritual. She is like a Beatrice, leading us on a journey that starts in the body and extends to the factory floor and casting couch; that encompasses religion and thousands of years of history; that includes Cassandra, Madonna and Mother Ann Lee; that goes from the ocean to the desert and then continues on through the solar system and finally even the "spaces between space. " Kuppers uses long lines that create a chant-like rhythm and also reinforce the message that she is on a quest of cosmic proportions, a kind of "Samsara. " It is a journey for individual identity in which she demands of the world, "let me hear my name, " but also one she undertakes in order to "claim back" much of what has been taken from women, including the freedom to express their sexuality and the dignity and beauty of their labor: "beneath your fingers, worker, is your fantasy and your redemption. " Kuppers also reexamines male-identified mythologies, noting, for example, that in Saturn, the god of the harvest, "a Goddess lies" The answer to the question Kuppers poses is not startling: woman is, of course, both flesh and soul. But Kuppers, through her ardent language, seems to want the reader to understand this not just as an abstract idea, but in an almost visceral way. The poems in Pearl Stitch, linked together like a row of needlework, are a celebration of every aspect of the female principle—its fierceness, tenderness, creativity, sensuality and intelligence. To view Petra Kuppers discussing her book go to Pearl Stitch.
Title: Pearl Stitch
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