By Robert Allen
When I first encountered this book, I was moved by the depth of the themes and the technical ability of a rising writer.
Moder, an indigenous poet from northern Wisconsin, has created in All True Heavens (Alien Buddha Press, 2022) a world seeking a higher order of love, a world of animals and powerful human figures, where the Divine is everywhere present. His poems are plaintive, skillful, and full of the quiet spirit of being.
In the namesake poem of the book, Moder says, “Your house has hidden doors, as do all true heavens.” But these doors are not easy to enter: “They ask, is this an agate, or a door? Or possibly a key?” The influence of Eliot seems evident here, loss in a world of darkness, seeking air, and a way out. “Here the land is not sick” the poem says. It concludes with a wish for the future, a hopefulness: “A day moon suspends over the Ferris wheel,” ending with the simplicity of a haiku.
His technical ability and themes of rebirth and revitalization are evident in “Skin is Borders:”
Layer after layer, one at a time, covered
in faded purple ink or scars, it’s all the same.
What’s left is tesselated crenelling.
Sometimes as a reader, a line sticks with you that you cannot shake. In “The Woman Who Spoke Swords”, there is this rich expression: “Her stare is one of recognition. She is many open eyes.” This is representative of Moder’s work, an awareness of the natural and Divine world and where and how they come together. And how we, as readers, experience it, The answer comes with the ease of a prayer: “See the ghosts / Of first kisses, painted in block letters on taconite trestles.”
For Moder, that’s where being lies in his poetry, in a Ferris wheel, taconite, the taste of God’s apples, or fish swimming. And this guise of simplicity is, like the poems in this book, is full of doorways. But it’s just a guise, these poems are smart, well rounded, and grounded in solid technical ability. I recommend All True Heavens for Fall reading, it’s just the time to make a list for the cooler, more thoughtful months.
A poet, teacher, and writing coach, Robert Allen lives with his family in Oakland, CA. He has been published widely on the internet and has just completed his first full length poetry manuscript. More can be found at www.robertallenpoet.com
