Falling Awake: PoemsMy rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read Alice Oswald’s Memorial with such joy that I pre-ordered Falling Awake and had it delivered the day it was released. I enjoyed this collection of poems but for me, it fell short of Memorial. I had hope for Tithonus, as it reminded me of the work she did with Memorial. The myth of Tithonus, who was granted immortality but not forever youth, is ripe for exploring, but I felt this was more a performative piece for a public venue rather than one to be read and savored in print.

Two poems really stood out for me and made this collection worth the time to engage. “A Short Story of Falling” was excellent. There was so much to unpack from such a short piece that I reread each stanza twice the first time through. I also adored “A Rushed Account of the Dew”. To me, it was about being present in the moment. She writes “I who can hear the last three seconds in my head / but the present is beyond me / listen”.