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| Candlestick Press 2025 My thanks to the publisher for the copy of this pamphlet |
These ten poems have been chosen to help welcome a new baby into the world. They capture the joy of the new arrival, relishing the many ways in which life will be transformed and enriched. In the opening poem, the family home becomes a place of softness and calm:
“We brought you lambs’ wool with a memory
of snow, the softest corduroy, felt, muslin,
papooses and clockwork. Our flat filled up
with a flock of cards…”
from ‘Newborn’ by Jenny Pagdin
Not surprisingly, sleep and interrupted sleep are recurring motifs, and there’s tender humour in trying to keep the house quiet. Who would have thought washing flapping on the line could be too loud? These irresistible poems are a reminder that with a new baby comes a whole new world.
Poems by Niall Campbell, Sarala Estruch, Matthew Holly’s, Jackie Kay, D H Lawrence, Sarojini Naidu, Jenny Pagdin, Christina Rossetti, Maggie Smith and Algernon James Swinburne.
Cover illustration by Sara Boccaccini Meadows
📖 My Review
This lovely collection of ten poems about babies celebrates all that is special about new life and the way in which lives are changed by the addition of a baby into the family. Having had two babies and now two grand babies I’m aware of just how wonderful this time can be and these ten talented poets have expressed all the joys, surprises and wonderment that newborns bring with them.
I loved the delicate beauty of Cradle Song by Sarojini Naidu:
“ Dear eyes, good-night
In golden light
The stars around you gleam
On you I press
With soft caress
A little lovely dream…”
I also enjoyed seeing two of my favourite poets included in the collection from Christina Rossetti comes the very lovely I Know A Baby, Such a Baby and from D H Lawrence comes the tender Baby Running Barefoot.
A lovely finish to the collection comes in Us by Sarala Estruch which reminded me so much of the overwhelming feeling a new baby brings:
“ Eating, sleeping, washing, loving -
this is all we do for days and months
No speaking - we develop a new language
Of facial expressions, sound , touch …”
Beautifully presented with a gorgeous cover, Ten Poems about Babies would be a delightful gift instead of a card for any new parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. I loved it.
About the Publisher
Candlestick Press is a small, independent press publishing sumptuously produced poetry pamphlets that serve as a wonderful alternative to a greetings card, with matching envelopes and bookmarks left blank for your message. Their subjects include Mountains, Clouds, Walking, Birds, Wine and Happiness. Candlestick Press pamphlets are stocked by chain and independent bookshops, galleries and garden centres nationwide and available to order online.
Twitter/X @poetrycandle
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