Egrets, While War

Egrets, While War reflects on aging, mortality, and survival in a world where violence and the beauty of nature coexist.

Unflinching, yet tender, the poems in Tishani Doshi’s Egrets, While War exist in a world of dualities, holding “desire in one hand, suffering in another.” Meditations on loss and larger world conflicts move alongside personal experiences, vulnerable self-reflections, and a deep longing for “what’s wild / and pulsing.” Thick with lush and immersive imagery, the pages of this collection are punctuated by birds as omens, as prophecies, as epiphanies, and sometimes, as moments of “brief blazing splendor.” Parakeets feed from orange blossoms outside a window. Wildflowers appear in the garden overnight. Sunbirds dive “in and out / of dens of gold.” Sharp and subtle, these poems lament the loss of humanity, while relishing the beauty, strength, and persistence of the natural world. Egrets, While War posits hope, resilience, and the earth as answers to our physical, spiritual, and emotional survival.