The silver of spent time' - Hopkins writes in "Fractal Field, " one of many haunting, and richly lyrical poems from The Rhyming Sky. The line epitomises where the beauty of this collections lies - in its dazzling depiction of moments witnessing the largesse of nature - moments in which the 'wide bone blue' of the sky transfixes, as does the peat-black wing of the geese, the flight of the 'cloud king' Gull, the bell stars which 'fall and shatter, like constellations of obsidian'. Such is the power of this poet's startling use of language, mastery of cadence and sound, that we are reminded of another Welsh poet, one who similarly cherished the sonic power of poetry, its ability to manifest nature upon the page in a vivid, tangible way. Dylan Thomas would, I am sure, be impressed by Hopkins' transcendent poems and their lush, and incantatory music.


~Anna Saunders, Poet & Founding Director Cheltenham Poetry Festival.