Mums, the Tongue, and Paradise

This title is printed to order. This book may have been self-published. If so, we cannot guarantee the quality of the content. In the main most books will have gone through the editing process however some may not. We therefore suggest that you be aware of this before ordering this book. If in doubt check either the author or publisher’s details as we are unable to accept any returns unless they are faulty. Please contact us if you have any questions.

The poems in Mums, the Tongue, and Paradise are beautifully constructed, often ironic, and always mindful of the poetic possibilities of language. Take, as an example, the first in the series, Adagio: "Everywhere the yellow of death grips leaves". This is followed by a line that qualifies the first observation: "When the last has fallen, we see the beauty of lack." Irony dominates and a qualified acceptance of the dark way the world works. Always there is a mordant observer who insists on bearing witness. Helen Marie Casey's lyrical poems do not shy from dark subjects; they often evoke loss in its various forms, including murder, violation, religious interdiction, and social and self-imposed isolation. The narrator is aware of life's ironies and she chooses, nonetheless, to enter the realm of darkness, suffering, and deviant malice. Her work is brave and there is never a turning away from truths that are difficult or uncomfortable.