The Light that Puts an End to Dreams: New and Selected Poems by Susan Sherman (review)

In The Light that Puts an End to Dreams: New and Selected Poems, Susan Sherman projects her inner life as a child, lover, traveler, activist for gay and women’s rights, historian, and writer. This volume, divided in six books, exudes a deep sense of attachment to the human experience and political events. In so doing, Sherman’s poems convey the different voices of those who have felt the pang of suffering and burning of injustice. Through the art of intimacy and honesty, she allows readers to understand that life is full of nuanced pauses and dynamic movements—an ironic movement to witness and experience.

In the first section titled, “Genesis,” Sherman manages to convey the beginning of several stages. These moments include the formation of history and political acts, budding love relationships, and shifting changes of seasons. The opening poem “A Poem that Starts in Winter” marks a dramatic scene in which Sherman equates those people “without a history” as people who were made to forget about their identity: immigrants, Jews, anti-war protestors in the Vietnam era, and lesbians. As the stories of these various people unfold, they are finally given a voice that acknowledges their struggle—a voice, which Sherman notes, formed by writing the poem. In the last several stanzas, Sherman tries to balance her inner rage with a call for justice. However, the backdrop of winter is a constant reminder of the overall somber tone.

“Areas of Silence” is an apt title for the second section. The poems focus on love relationships and the “silence” that occurs when lovers are apart. While they demonstrate Sherman’s passionate feelings towards her beloved, the poems in this section are notably weak. Several of the images are trite, and the themes of lust and longing become lackluster by the concluding poem.

Sherman’s brilliance returns in two poems in the following sections titled, “The Fourth Wall” and “Long Division.” “Facts” describes the harsh reality of apartheid in South Africa and the numerous South Africans that died fighting against it. The poem also explores the irony of how many Americans, especially students, have no knowledge of international issues or question contemporary events. Once again, Sherman’s inner rage emerges throughout the poem and strikes readers with thoughtful intensity. “Holding Together” is also impressionable due to its balance of fresh descriptions of mundane objects and tasks with the speaker’s rhythmic movement in New York. By merging these elements, Sherman demonstrates her unique ability to capture concrete imagery and emotions.

Sherman explores chanting, traveling, and religion in the fifth section titled, “Cantos for Elegua.” The text’s notes state that Elegua is the “opener of the doors.” In the same vein, the poems in this section reproduce Sherman’s journeys to various countries like Nicaragua and Spain and experiences with different rituals and beliefs. These poems also serve as a pathway to the last section, “The Light that Puts an End to Dreams,” which is a series of poems about Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the 17th century Mexican nun who broke many traditions by writing poetry and became known as the “first feminist of the Americas.” Accompanied by photographs by Joséphine Sacabo, Sherman’s poems reflect the blurred photographic images as they merge the biography of de la Cruz with contemporary events. This union is a powerful relationship and responds to Sherman’s desire to question those who suppressed the artistic talent of de la Cruz and subordinate women in general. As in her previous poems, Sherman challenges injustice, discrimination, and historical “facts” and ends by questioning the “madness” of the current century.