Crossing the Salt Flats

Christopher Wiseman invariably writes poems about basic human experiences, and in this collection, one of his finest, he is especially concerned with his family and ancestors. He emigrated from England as a young man, and his wife has relatives in the United States, so many of these poems involve travel - but travel to one’s human origins. Because the emphasis is on emotions we all share, however, the poems are never obviously or embarrassingly private; on the contrary, they are readily accessible and make an immediate impact - though their subtleties may not reveal themselves until they have been reread and fully absorbed.