Benedict's Daughter by Philip C. Kolin (review)

Part tribute, part eulogy, and part theology, Philip C. Kolin's newest collection of poetry, Benedict's Daughter, honors the memory of Margie, a Benedictine Oblate and the poet's spiritual advisor for three decades. Poem by poem in the collection, Kolin describes this woman's faith, details the significant events of her life, and makes visceral the depths of her faith. And by book's end, Kolin has done a fantastic job of communicating the complexities of strong belief.

In his collection of essays on the art of poetry, Body and Soul (2002), Mark Jarman offers a quick summation of how faith-based poetry hits its mark when he states, "The subject of a religious poem is clear; it is the real or imagined tie between the poet and God. The urgency with which the poet tries to understand that tie gives religious poetry its power." Occasioned by the profound loss Kolin experiences in the passing of his spiritual guide, Benedict's Daughter could not possibly evidence more urgency to examine the ties between this poet and God. Each poem in the collection throws itself into this examination, and the result is a rare combination of power and beauty fueled by Kolin's love and respect for Margie, and by his overriding faith in God.

The collection divides itself into two parts. The first, "Prologue: The Liturgy of the Hours," organizes itself around the movement of the monastic day, with each of the movement's five poems detailing a daily prayer event: lauds, terce, sext, vespers, and compline. Kolin's language in the first part of the collection is pristine—"The air is inscribed with Gospels/calling us to be a part of forever" (3), from "Day Opens." And later from "St. Peter on the Eternity of Three":

Coming down, we wiped the dazzlefrom our eyes; and for three yearsit spread like lilies across the fields.

(4)

More than any other gift, Part 1 of the collection provides a startlingly clear vision of what life in the monastery, life in service of St. Benedict, would entail. Not only does Kolin examine the depth of this life of faith in its actions, he also offers glimpses of its beauty—"Through the stained glass windows/the candles look like sunsets" (8), from "The Delta Between Sunset and Dark."

Part 2, "The Journey," constitutes the bulk of the collection. The 36 poems in this section offer an impressive array of poetic styles and perspectives. Their subjects range from the details of Margie's life to a more theological analysis of the meaning of faith and existence. Rather than allowing these poems to lapse into abstract rumination, however, Kolin keeps his language rooted in the beauty of the natural world, the unequivocal presence of creation. The role of nature in these poems, then, is palpable and direct, as in these lines from "The Gulls' Oratory":

So many gulls ribbonedMobile Bay the day she came home,more than 150 swoopingin their dirty white and molting grey coats.It was hard to hear God's voicewith all their squawking.

(15)

As easy as it would be to laud such details as excellent verisimilitude, over and again in the collection, it is clear Kolin uses the details of nature as beacons of truth. My favorite examples of the natural world as sign come in "Father Luke, O.S.B.":

to look for the faces of the Apostlesin the autumn clouds hanging

close enough to touch,silvery rosary beads

to meditate on the silence of frost;and study the longing of trees

to divest themselves of earth's veneryfor a new season of austere wonder.

(17)

And later in "The Garden":

As she gardens, she prays about graceAnd the necessity of trust, a sparrow

Lands on the fountain, sips,Then flies away. "There's a bit of Scripture

For today," she smiles . . . .

(45)

Both of these...