The grass with little daisies in it
springs
as if springs are under my feet. I poke
the ferrule of my umbrella in it, as if
I need a prop for steadiness and yet
it is a pretence: waterlogged or not
something like joy is running underneath.
In her twentieth poetry collection,
Elizabeth Smither brings together a new ensemble of surprising images and charismatic
companions. A herd of cows gathers around a radio to listen wide-eyed to a
Mozart concerto. A frog leads us unhurriedly down the garden path. Jane
Austen’s Emma makes an appearance. A cat critiques Wittgenstein. And a
flamboyant fabric rose rescues a job interview.
Each poem in The Interview Rose is
a bridge between the private self and the physical world, travelling the long
route through art, religion, philosophy, and the pleasures of language.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 64
Imprint: Auckland University Press
Publication date: 09/04/2026
