If Jackson keeps working on the book of Luke, I'm here for it! I'll leave you with my favorite poem, no surprise that it's about one of my favorite passages of Scripture. Jackson's poems on Mary of Bethany anointing Jesus' feet with perfume Luke 7:36-50 were my favorite, though the opening poems about the Nativity are a close second. The callbacks to music and lyrics, and repetitions of his nonce forms, also make the poetic devices stand out. Some free verse I've read seems like stuffy, floral prose with line breaks, but Jackson's is obviously poetic without the line breaks (some poems are not printed with breaks). As a formalist, an entire book of free verse can be a stretch for me, but Jackson is more committed to rhythm than other free verse poets I've read, which made this book a joy to read. Good poetry deserves to be spoken rather than read, and Jackson's cadences leap off the page into the ear. Jackson employs a variety of free verse and nonce forms to interpret these passages in his context. God Speaks through Wombs considers Luke 1-8 in poetry. This book is a gift to the church, and Jackson has quickly become one of my new favorite poets whose work I will be following closely for years to come.
Jackson's poems are clear and approachable, written to be understood by everyday folks - something which cannot be said for a lot of poetry - yet there are deeper layers here for those willing to sit with his words. Jackson's poems consistently draw out Luke's theme of,įusing the honest, messy emotions of the Psalms with his own style of spoken word poetry, Jackson uses moments from Luke 1-8 as launching points to speak on contemporary realities - from the mass incarceration of Black men ("The Waters of My Weeping," inspired by John the Baptist's imprisonment) to the formative wisdom of his mother ("Teaching Time," inspired by Jesus sitting in the synagogue). Pastor-poet Drew Jackson offers us an fresh and insightful collection of poems inspired by the first eight chapters of Luke's gospel - poems simultaneously rooted in the Scriptures and his experience as a Black man in America. God Speaks Through Wombs is hands-down my favorite poetry collection of the year.
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