The lactic acid in the calves of your despair by Ali Whitelock
Wakefield Press, 2020. ISBN: 9781743057049.
(Age: Adult) Highly recommended. With a dedication to 'all our
mistakes, regrets and broken hearts and the words we can't quite
find' Ali Whitelock's latest book of poems explores themes around
ageing, death, grief and reflection on the past. I eagerly grabbed
this book, remembering her blunt and confrontational poems in And my
heart crumples like a coke can (2018). There is less of
the sharp humour of that previous book, more of the regretful
contemplation of the past, an empathy with the exhausted woman in
'do not speak to me of pain'; but the words are as powerful as ever,
the language and imagery is rich and complex and such an enjoyment
to read, with phrases such as 'the lactic acid in the calves of your
despair', 'the dandruff in the dry scalp of your longing', 'an
arsenal of lidless tupperware in the parched prairie of your
existence'. Whitelock gives expression to the thoughts and
experiences of someone looking back on their life, particularly
those times of grief on losing the much loved dog or the not so
loved parent.
I especially enjoyed (it's not the right word) Whitelock's comments
on modern life in 'Who shot jr?' - the couple not wanting to guess
incorrectly or insultingly the country of origin of the waiter, and
the barista's words of hesitant welcome to the poet from Scotland,
resident in Australia for 24 years; people no longer knowing the
right words to say, amidst the barrage of issues of cruelty and
devastation. For readers who would like an easy introduction to this
poet, Ali Whitelock's site
has some video readings of her poems, most especially her reading of
'This is coal don't be afraid' which she describes as a found poem,
like the treatment of found objects in art, a poem that strikingly
brings together statements from Scott Morrison, the Rural Fire
Service and others in the midst of the bushfire crisis of 2019-2020.
It is a poem that went viral on YouTube.
Pick up a copy of this book, and I am sure that you will find
something that you recognise, and it will draw you in.
Themes: Grief, Loss, Love, Writing, Life.
Helen Eddy