What I Carry with Me

If you have ever wondered what the world looks like through the eyes of a poet, What I Carry with Me offers a glimpse. Only a hint because, as poet Carol A. Stephen illuminates, the world contains endless moments for pause, awe, and reflection. Using various poetic forms, this collection unveils the powers of the lyric and narrative, the beauty in ekphrasis and abecedarian. These poems take your hand and lead you through European cities, old-growth forests, hospital stays, and the intimacies of memory. Themes of conservation, existence, ageing, and reciprocity can be found in these lines. The real and imagined are investigated, the natural and clinical worlds unearthed. The taste of a mountain, the texture of air, or tripping over a bone—nothing is too small or ordinary for the poet to notice and revere with unique imagery, alliteration, and rhythm. These poems are honest as they honour the poet’s gaze.