Apostrophe 1. Rhet. A figure of speech, by which a speaker or writer suddenly stops in his discourse, and turns to address pointedly some person or thing, either present or absent; an exclamatory address. (OED) Renowned poet E.D. Blodgett extends his lyrical meditations to the limits of human knowing in Apostrophes VII: Sleep, You, a Tree. By remaining true to the ancient trope of direct address, he is able to sustain the merest suggestion of the infinite complexity of the natural world beyond "You," and thereby impress his breathtaking vision. Via sumptuous imagery commanded by musical lines and understated language, readers are invited to partake in the greatest marvels that happen to be all around us, and accessible to us, every day.
E.D. Blodgett (1935-2018) published numerous books of poetry as well as diverse criticism and literary translations. He was Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at the University of Alberta. He won the Governor General's Award twice, for poetry and translation. From 2007 to 2009 he was Edmonton's Poet Laureate.
"The best part is the moment (often a long one) before one begins a poem. It is that state that Keats calls negative capability," and it is a state that simply comes over one and almost dissolves one.' This moment or state leads to a particular sensibility that filters through Blodgett's work. That the world, no matter how brutal and mindless it is tending to be, is a place of incomparable awe." Ariel Gordon, Prairie Books Now Summer 2011
"[Blodgett's] new collection of unrhymed sonnets, Sleep, You, A Tree, is a long contemplation in seventyeight partswith repeated motifs that include infinity, eternity, silence, unsayability, darkness, whiteness, childhood, paradise, God, moon and starsin which almost every poem includes a tree. Blodgett's weaving of form and content is rare in contemplative poetics.... Blodgett's rhythms, both formal as in traditional sonnets but also relaxed in their line ends and breakup of rhythm, are delicious to the ear. Such poetry is made to read aloud." - BC Bookworld, Autumn 2011
"Each time [the imagery of these interrelated poems is] transformed into an elegantly satisfying visual music that pulls the consciousness of the willing reader into a fresh perception of the connections among mind, language, and the world." Neil Querengesser, Canadian Literatures 214, Autumn 2012
Blodgett's weaving of form and content is rare in contemplative poetics.... Blodgett's rhythms, both formal as in traditional sonnets but also relaxed in their line ends and break-up of rhythm, are delicious to the ear. Such poetry is made to read aloud." BC Bookworld
