The Woman and the Whale

This is the eighth book published by Ethel Mortenson Davis. Carolyn Kane, in her review of Under the Tail of the Milky Way Galaxy, described Davis's poetry as being like extended haikus. A haiku is the Japanese tradition has short, unrhymed lines that evoke natural images. In many ways, the poems in this book, with its subtitle of "encounters with other kingdoms," invoking various forms of life on planet earth, animals, plants, and humanity, fits that definition exactly. The poems in this collection do not exist within a strictly regulated syllable count, but they are always short, condensed, unrhyed, and evoke natural images that provoke, inspire, create emotions, and move readers in different, often powerful, ways, expressing pleass for all of us to be more responsible in our interactions with earth. The title poem, "The Woman and the Whale, evoking the beauty of how humans can interact with the world's largest mammal, is exhibit one in defining just how extraordinary Davis's vision is. . . There are personal notes in the book. A few of the poems recall the death of her son, Kevin Michael Davis, of cancer. Others are dedicated to friends or her granddaughter and her husband on the day of their marriage. Several of the poems exist as warnings about the disasters humankind is creating in the various kingdoms that are addressed throughout the book. This is an extraordinary collection of poetry by the Door County Poet Laureate and a widely honored Wisconsin poet.