A welcoming, emotional, and aesthetic experience for readers.
A Sort of Lullaby: Poetry of the Ordinary by Mandy Whyman is a lively, organic collection of poetry that inspires childlike wonder and a renewed appreciation for the natural world. Across just under 50 unique poems, the author reflects on plants, animals, love, and the shifting seasons—both on the calendar and within our own lives. Stark in imagery and spare in language, the collection has a peaceful flow that gently guides audiences on a tranquil, well-paced journey through time. Lines about Summer’s ecstasy or rain that smells of childhood are evocative without being forced, a testament to the poet’s light touch and joyful spirit. While the poems celebrate nature’s vitality, there is an undercurrent of wistfulness, echoing the constant ebb and flow in the environment. Summer melts into fall, fall into winter, showcasing an unrelenting yet comfortingly familiar cycle. Each poem champions uncomplicated things of beauty that are easily taken for granted.
Poetry need not be flashy or embellished to leave a lasting impression or reveal something true and affecting. This is where Mandy Whyman’s unadorned poetry shines. Rather than clutter the pages with overly flowery descriptions of stunning natural features, direct, effective terms are used. For example, while the moon could be described in many ways, the expression “dinner plate moon” simultaneously humbles and imparts a sense of whimsy. Wherever we are in the world, the scent of a spring morning stokes a personal memory. And the lovely phrase “the secret time of night” readily calls to mind the edgy, unsettled sensation of twilight. Whyman’s stylistic signature is all heart and sincerity, an approach that allows the words to radiate joy, calm, tenderness, warmth, hope, reverence, and a zest for life.
In our fast-paced, technology-driven world, it can feel impractical or impossible to slow down and reconnect with the ordinary wonders available in our backyard. Yet that is exactly what this delightful work accomplishes. Using common sights, the author crafts a welcoming, emotional, and aesthetic experience for readers. Beautiful examples of nature’s bounty include the way “dandelions are made lace” or the attention-grabbing visual of the “smoke of starlings.” In the author’s own words, Evensong has a line that perfectly encapsulates the entire collection: “Ordinary, eternal, this small song of everything.” Unforced, unguarded, and utterly wholesome, A Sort of Lullaby is a confident, harmonious collection that beckons all to take a moment to feel the rhythm all around us.
