No Shore Too Far

Broadcaster and writer Jonathan Stedall lost his wife Jackie in the autumn of 2014, and these meditative poems on death, bereavement and hope lyrically explore his processing of his loss in simple, moving and deeply human terms. The style is laconic, mostly with short lines with a hint of lilting rhythm and alternating waves of hope and forlorn longing. The poems reach out beyond the present, and are yet grounded in the everyday as those left behind have to continue living and reconstruct their identity in what remains a transient world. As one would expect, he has good days and bad days, sometimes feeling her close and sometimes far away – 'that paradise I glimpse/between the cracks/of daily life.' It is a struggle to trust that all is in fact well even when it does not feel that way. The love and the longing are constantly present even while Jonathan has to surrender and let go, sometimes floundering. There is a great honesty and vulnerability in the writing with which readers can identify- experiences of the dark and light as we strive to understand what may be just beyond our grasp. Yet the search for love and wisdom must continue, and this often involves courage as well as the yearning to connect and reconnect. This is a beautiful and inspiring collection, and especially nourishing for those in a similar situation.