A Garden in the Rain

By Dell Catherall

In this d but collection, Dell Catherall shapes language the way a gardener prunes an aspen tree. Paying tribute to a garden, a husband, a son lost to childhood demons, the poems in this collection connect the humble to the luminous. A draft dodger collects wild plants from the coast of British Columbia. Camellias bloom as a sex worker from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside enters a creative writing class. Witch hazel acts as a metaphor for a son suffering with bipolar disorder.

With the four seasons as an overarching structure, Catherall deftly moves between forms: A palindrome reveals the murderous and miraculous qualities of rhubarb. "Fig Sestina" describes a perfect summer gift from the husband's garden.

Frozen hellebore blooms and bleeding hearts garland a journey through motherhood, marriage, and friendship, while wisteria cascades outside the boundaries of pleasure and grief. Lush, fragrant, and humming with life, A Garden in the Rain reminds us that all is never lost-that plants may die, but "gardens are forever."

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1039198554
• ISBN13: 9781039198555
• Release Date: January 2024
• Publisher: FriesenPress
• Length: 114 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 8.0"