Meditation on a Tooth

The poems in Kenneth Sherman’s new collection are by turns lyric, ironic, and prophetic, ranging from the personal to the political. In “A Walk Along Lakeshore Drive,” and “Spy Balloon,” Sherman shows himself to be a poet who listens to the voice of Canadian soil while being attentive to the European theme of the soul in conflict with the world and time. At the centre of the collection is the powerful seven-part poem, “Meditation on a Tooth,” a work which oscillates between history and science, never wavering from its spiritual quest.