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Thylazine: The Australian Journal of Arts, Ethics & Literature                                                                                                                             #8/thyla8i-mrbook AUSTRALIAN POETRY BOOK REVIEWS In An Empty Room by Martha Richardson reviewed by MML Bliss (Five Islands Press, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, 2002, $8.00) What a drab cover this little book has. From the black and white cover image to the tan blobs on the back it reminds me of the Brodies Notes I read in high school, to complement comprehension of a text. But this is a book of poems. I begin to read, on the look out for, according to Doris Leadbetter, "a way of using the English language that makes you sit up and listen to her work". Richardson's command of language is evident from the first poem, "In Silence", where she separates sounds and focuses on the truism that there is rarely silence. You can hear the hush in this room. This is finely crafted writing, and the poems do carry the reader through to the end. The poem "Colours of Pain" is about that silence that echoes through the pages, the emptiness that needs so many written words to express. In "View From Box Hill" Richardson employs a skittering rhythm to echo the sound of a train - it's effective, but she is also a scorpion with a sting in her tail and the perennial poets' grievance of not being able to afford to do anything. Much as I feel for this poet, clearing houses after people have died, e.g. "Discarding My Mother's Love Letters", this is something that you really do have to do alone. I wonder whether she read the letters before feeding them to the garden. I hope not. Richardson knows rhythm. This is clear in the poem "Faraway" where the rhythm and pace reflect the movement of riding a camel or being on a boat at sea. It's a device she uses to great effect. A large portion of this book is dedicated to times past. It's sad to mourn like this. But Richardson makes us aware that she has fortitude, she is a survivor. She is also sarcastic, and the poems "Seconds and Belated Explanation" have a real sting in their tails. Martha Richardson's Empty Room is chockablock with the clamour of memory. These poems read well on and come off the page like dreams. Their self-consciousness is a little false-sounding at times, e.g. "Uncharted Territory", but the poem itself manages to maintain its strength and integrity. Although I see the merit in these poems, the effort and refining that has gone into their creation weighs heavily on the reader. There's not much joy here. Richardson's sharp tongue and penetrating vision can be caustic and rather terrifying. Richardson has a clear and articulate voice, and these are poems collected over a long period of time. It's a first booklet. The problem I have with this voice is that it is so rehearsed, so careful, so done to death. What I believe we have here is essentially light verse, so heavily embroidered in a tapestry of workshop-received techniques that it very nearly convinces the reader that it is poetry. Poetry workshop addicts will love this. For me, it's just too twee. (Reviewed by MML Bliss, September 2003) I Next I Back I Exit I Thylazine No.8 (September, 2003)