Here are the rewritten versions in fluent, natural English:
Passion by David Morley (Carcanet, £12.99)
David Morley’s passionate new collection draws on his Romany heritage and his background as an ecologist. The poems blend the energy of the Romany language with English to celebrate our deep connection with nature’s wonder: “from elm top to hedgerow… from harebell to whitethroat: Sorí simensar sí men (We are all one).” This rich mix of languages also explores the pain of oppression – “Police surround Travellers in the market square while locals watch and mock” – alongside the resilient spirit of Romany culture. “Words become nimble and quick… language Travellers might use as shelter from harsh laws… Speech flows like melting ice, coming alive with each word.”
Versus Versus: 100 Poems by Deaf, Disabled & Neurodivergent Poets (Bloodaxe, £14.99)
This vibrant anthology showcases diverse voices often marginalized by prejudice. The poems celebrate individuality while challenging limitations. Lateef McLeod writes: “I’m too beautiful for your Ugly Laws, too free to be confined,” while Mishka Hoosen declares: “I am that howl in the night ward. I spark without your help.” At a time when disabled rights are under threat in the UK, this collection feels urgent. As Maya Abu-Hayyat puts it: “Those who say you can’t will fall in the end.”
So What by Frederick Seidel (Faber, £12.99)
At 89, Seidel confronts mortality and aging while critiquing American and Western failures. In the title poem set at Claridge’s, he describes privileged isolation: “Marble shines like syrup. So what if they whip it to keep disaster at bay?” Remaining provocative and sometimes offensive, his poetic skill shines through: “My breath steamed like a silent foghorn.” When he claims “Poetry is meaningless on a spring day,” we know to take his sharp wit with a grain of salt.
In the Hollow of the Wave by Nina Mingya Powles (Nine Arches, £11.99)
This glowing collection explores creativity through art, fashion, and fabric. Powles examines how clothing shapes identity and memory, honoring her Chinese-Malaysian roots while rejecting stereotypes: “A dress can map colonial fantasies or trace childhood fields.” She also captures nature’s uneasy beauty during ecological crisis, recalling New Zealand with striking imagery: “It’s beautiful and terrible to know wildfire colors – lupine, aster, rhododendron curling into pearly flames.”
Transfigurations: Collected Poems by Jay Wright (Penguin Classics, £14.99)
British readers can now discover this profoundly original American poet’s ambitious work. [Note: The original text cuts off here – would you like me to complete this based on the visible content?]Jay Wright is a globally conscious writer whose lyrical and experimental poetry draws from diverse world traditions. His work reflects his African heritage alongside his upbringing in the American Southwest—a cultural crossroads blending American, Spanish, and Navajo influences.
Wright’s poems delve into spiritual wisdom and myth, as seen in lines like: “I see the God himself dance / and turn about himself / like the stars he moves…” They also examine the power of ritual and its potential to transform both individuals and communities: “in the order of these acts, / I take your presence upon me. / …I have been trying to create a language / to return what you have lost / …a language to return you to yourself.”
Though varied in style, these radiant and searching poems share a common pursuit—the exploration of how collective identity and selfhood might take shape.
