Review by Shelley A. Leedahl
reviews.skbooks.com/race-to-finish/ Marion Mutala is a literary machine, with sixteen published books and more on the way. I’ve previously reviewed two of her children’s books--Grateful and the 175-page, multi-story achievement, Baba’s Babushka. The Saskatchewan writer’s latest title, Race to Finish, is a poetry collection, dedicated to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG); the First Nations children buried in unmarked, residential school graves across Canada; and the Black Lives Matter movement. It begins with a foreword by artist Kevin L. Peeace, who relays the experience of presenting in an elementary school and being asked by a young student: “What was it like being at the residential school?” Peeace also provided the compelling black and white cover drawing of a bisected face: one half representing the bricks and tears of the residential school experience, the other representative of his peoples’ connection to the land and familial love—at least that’s my interpretation. Mutala’s poems champion racial equality, gratitude, positivity, and God, as well as personal experience, ie: “the old wooden cookstove on the/farm when I was a child” (from “Reminds Me”). Not every poem is rosy, however. In “God’s Tricks” she acknowledges that “life happens”: “A little of this and a lot of that and too soon/We are in high school dragging our butts around,/Tired, wanting to sleep the days away and party/the nights”. And as life continues, we eventually “look old and tired” and “Our spirit is fried like a parched desert”. The writer chooses various styles and structures: some pieces rhyme, some are a single stanza, and some, like the prosaic “Envision,” read like miniature pep talks: “Why not envision the best city in Saskatchewan, in Canada, in the entire world?” “Plain Lucky”—dedicated to the late writer Wes Funk—contains the everyday dialogue of two friends enjoying coffee together. The piece “Don’t You Think?” repeats the opening line and adds another with each new stanza. It begins: “I think if you stand in front of a church with a/Bible held high in your hand, you should open/it,” and in progressive stanzas the writer advises said Bible-holder/s to read and “use” the words of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Mutala writes from the perspective of one who is “white privileged,” and she should be commended for addressing systemic racism in these poems, many of which blatantly articulate that “Black Lives and Indigenous Lives Matter”. She encourages “other white privileged” folks to speak up about racial injustice and persecution based on sexual orientation. “Do not be silent!” she heralds. “Smarten up!” This small book includes an “Open Dialogue” featuring eight questions, ie: “What are things people can do to promote reconciliation?” and “What are things people can do to stop homophobia?” and invites readers to share their stories “so we can listen, understand, and change to make life better”. It concludes with a “Resources” section. A portion of this book’s proceeds go to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Review by Candice James
https://www.facebook.com/548677701931198/photos/a.647937188671915.1073741828.548677701931198/941652609300370/?type=3&theater Marion Mutala opens the book with 3 poems that open the door to the Ukrainian Daughter’s Dance: “Memories”, “Washboard”, and “Old Farmhouse” focus a soft lens on her youth and open our hearts and minds to the nostalgia of our own youthful days . In the poem “Depression” Mutala compares this intangible disease to a beast stalking her sister: “Stalking beast attacks / Wears mask / Camouflage the blues” And then ends the poem with what seems like a cure “of sorts” which really isn’t a cure at all. “Once a wild caged animal / Medicated / then born again / She acts like a simple child” “Seductress” brings into focus the perils of falling prey to the liquid flames of alcohol of which fallout can create holocausts, tsunamis, and total destruction of soul of a long period of substance abuse. From opening line: “She looks at me with magnetic dark eyes” To the ending stanza “She falls asleep in my arms / My bottle of lust, my sparkling bottle of rum / Slowly, one ounce at a time” My favourite poem in the book is “Effect”, a nature poem, short, sweet and filled with vivid imagery: “Nature encompasses / a sundog / beautifying / the cold sky” And what a fitting ending to end the book with the title poem “Ukrainian Daughter’s Dance”. Mutala proudly displays her heritage in these excerpted lines: “I am what I am I say” “I’ll always be a prairie girl / and daughter of a Ukrainian matya” “And a Ukrainian Prairie daughter will always / dance barefoot in the black dirt" Dancing through the pages to the magical rhythm Mutala’s poetry exudes is enjoyable indeed. About the Poet: Marion Mutala has a master’s degree in education administration and has taught for 30 years. With a mad passion for the arts she loves to write, sing, folkdance, play guitar, travel and read. She is the author of the bestselling and award-winning children’s book trilogy Baba’s Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Christmas, Baba’s Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Easter and Baba’s Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Wedding. Her fourth book Grateful was published in 2014. Ukrainian Daughter’s Dance is her debut poetry book. About the reviewer: Candice James is Poet Laureate Emerita; Board Advisor Royal City Literary Arts Society; Director Pacific Festival of the Book. She is author of eleven poetry books: the first "A Split In The Water” (Fiddlehead Poetry Books 1979) and the most recent is ”Merging Dimensions” (Ekstasis Editions). Her awards include Bernie Legge Artist Cultural award; Pandora’s Collective Citizenship award; Pentasi B Woman of Prestige award. Further info at www.candicejames.com. |
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