OTHERNATURAL

The poems in Lee Mark Sawatzky's second collection all circle, at various distances, the idea of the foundational importance of faith and family. The familiar topics visited include ageing, societal change, values, temptation, beliefs, ecological threats, and God's mercy. Although more about ideas than landscapes, the commonplace settings and Canadiana that are in the background- a drugstore an empty street, a church pew, a sports field, the river's edge, etc.- are crucial to the book's tone.