Reviewed by Beatriz Copello
The Natural World Somersaults
by Shaine Melrose
Walleah Press
August 2024, Paperback, 104 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1763653023
Shaine Melrose describes herself as a queer writer and retired gardener The Natural World Somersaults is her second book of poetry. Melrose has been published widely and has won various prizes. Melrose’s life is rendered in filmic passages that grip the reader with intensity, emotion and beauty. In many of the poems she sets the scenes at the beginning, creating tension and expectation which are realised through the poems.
Melrose utilises a variety of styles from long paragraphs, three and four line stanzas, quatrains and uneven lines, pivoting around memories of growing up, family and other interesting characters that she encounters. There is a close and intense connection between the poetic speaker and land, plants and animals, with a strong sense of harmony and vivid impressions. The following poem, “1980, Under Pressure”, impacted me strongly:
Boys, disloyal and mean, waged war after war —
Girls betrayed me in search of boys and glamour.
The travelling faith-makers preyed on my mother,
Left her with their bible and The Watchtower magazines.
She placed them on my desk, open passages,
I fill with self-hatred, homophobia.
I went riding with Norris on his KZ1300 motorbike,
the wind, the freedom, we sped around twisted roads.
Didn’t want his romance, just wanted friendship,
all that pain on his face, confusion stifled inside.
I was also impressed by Melrose’s use of cultural touchstones like the David Bowie songs Under Pressure and Rebel Rebel, or the KZ1300 which conjur the timeframe while suggesting the confusion and rebellion of the era as well as the internal journey of the poet. The powerful and evocative words demonstrate the raw honesty of the poet drawing the reader into her personal and tumultuous experience. We can really feel the disconnection from gender norms, societal expectations and relationships that combine with moments of freedom and escape that come with riding the motorbike.
Melrose has a strong and distinct voice which stands out, with a language that is fresh, with a unique perspective. Her poems often carry multiple layers of meaning. On the surface the poems recount childhood memories and family stories, but deep reading reveals themes of identity, gender issues, sexual politics, and existential questions.
All the poems in The Natural World Somersaults are rich in imagery. Melrose blends reflections on humanity with the natural world very smoothly, weaving themes of unity, resilience and creation as in the following poem titled “Music”:
the harmony inside makes us one humanity,
clinking to beat and breath of the natural world —
music streaming from the creation of things,
one tribal chant, atom on atom, hammer on anvil,
arrow to the bow,
shooting words from my soul.
This beautiful poem is both personal and expansive, it captures the essence of what makes us human, also the transitions between abstract ideas and tangible actions give the piece a dynamic and layered texture.
Shaine Melrose has a unique and original strong voice, precise and evocative, to a point that the language feels alive, giving the readers a sensory experience. The rhythm of her poems have a musical quality. I really hope there will be a second and many more books of poetry from this young and talented poet.
About the reviewer: Dr Beatriz Copello is an award-winning poet, she writes poetry, fiction, reviews and plays. The author’s books are: Women Souls and Shadows, Meditations At the Edge of a Dream, Under the Gums Long Shade, Forbidden Steps Under the Wisteria, A Call to the Stars translated and published in China and Taiwan, Witches Women and Words, No Salami Fairy Bread, Rambles, Renacer en Azul, Lo Irrevocable del Halcon (In Spanish), and most recently, The Book of Jeremiah, published in December 2024 by Ginninderra Press. Copello’s poetry has been published in literary journals such as Southerly and Australian Women’s Book Review and in many feminist publications. The author has participated in international conferences, has taught Creative Writing at W.S.U. and other scholarly institutions, she has read her poetry at Writers Festivals and other poetry events in Australia and overseas. Copello is mentioned amongst the forty “most notable people” graduated from the University of Technology.