The poems in Falling Body, David Cavanagh's second collection, cover ground with quirkiness, precision, and grace. hey move the way a life moves - in and out of personal and public territory, past and present perspectives, inner and outer worlds. They chart inevitable falls and celebrate, sometimes with wry humour, sometimes with muted joy, getting up again. The poems touch down lightly on large topics and move on, nervous of becoming trapped in easy certainties. They love the complexities while yearning for simplicity. In a world of distraction, they focus on paying attention:
If you sit still long
enough, everything you
haven't thought of
begins to move
across a screen
you didn't know
was there. Now's
the chance to slow-dance
with essentials.
The Somnambulist and the Good Life is David Cavanagh’s fifth collection of poems. Earlier books include
Straddle,
Falling Body, and
The Middleman, all published by Salmon Poetry, and
Cycling in Plato’s Cave, from Fomite Press. David’s poems have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and the U.K. Born and raised in Montreal, he lives in Burlington, Vermont, where for many years he was an associate dean at Johnson State College (now Northern Vermont University).
Review: The Midwest Book Review, October 2009
Life never stops moving, and neither should poetry. Falling Body is poetry using the theme of the constant movement of life. The second collection by David Cavanagh, Falling Body will charm many a reader. "Falling Body" is a deftly written poetry that many a fan will cherish.
Dear Lillian
With your dying such a trump
you've played.
The rest of us shuffling
over and over,
trying to change the luck.
