Viewed from the Keel of a Canoe: Poetry for Gifting

Last updated on: December 10, 2016 at 11:34 am by John Mark N. Reynolds

Viewed from the Keel of a Canoe: Poetry for Gifting 2016-12-10T11:34:30-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Gentleman poet

Viewed from the Keel of a Canoe is a very good book of poetry by a very interesting man. The man made the poetry, but the South, God, and his grandfathers made the man.

Matthew Boyleston is a rarity: a published poet with business savvy and a deeply conservative man. His recent collection of poems should be required reading in the Carolinas and would be a good choice for a modern poetry class everyplace.

Here is a sample of a favorite:

In My Father’s House

In the beginning,

God created the world

to the Adagio of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major.

All opens before me-

an isosceles sky,

rent cotton,

the white steeple of a Baptist church:

this is the setting for all stories.

Boyleston writes poetry, not religious poetry, or Southern poetry, but as a Southern and Christian man his language and images reflect his mind. Some of us take our experiences and fit them into our vision of reality and they end up false when we recount them. They even sound false, yet Boyleston has allowed his home, his grandparents, his heritage to shape him and if he then contributes his share to the family memory, then that share is part of a greater whole.

This is a man careful with words. His poems are spare and that makes them easy to read, but they are full of ideas. Like the great teacher he is, Boyleston can make something very hard seem delightful and plain. Only later, when the beauty brings you back to Boyleston, do you see there was more to the line “Air is the dead smell of pigs.” There is farming, a bit of Homer, and three hundred years of Southern history.

Boyleston is almost old fashioned in following the ancient rules of poetry. If you think you must have heard all this before in other mannerly, Southern poets, you would be wrong. Boyleston has been shaped by his heritage, his education, his family and then plays by the rules to tell us what he has learned. His voice, the sum of all those parts, is fresh and so the poetry is fresh.

This makes me suspect the problem is never the rules, but the messenger: Boyleston has something to say, says it beautifully, and says it as his heritage has shaped him to speak. There is only one Matt Boyleston so there is no poetry quite like this.

A few books gravitate to my desk or by my office chair, Sculpting in Time, the Bible, and generally some Plato. All this school year, I have picked up Boyleston’s little book of poetry and found some wisdom and much more needed: mental peace that is quiet without being dull. I made sure we got a copy for everyone in The Saint Constantine School leadership.

If you can give the gift of wisdom wrapped in beauty, you should. Boyleston has given you the chance with Viewed from the Keel of a Canoe. Like many beautiful things, this book is hard to get so order while you can.

On Books

Previous Post

December 9, 2016

Stop Failing: Lessons from Virgil and Lucas

Next Post

December 11, 2016 Graduation is Christmas

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Apologetics Art Culture Education On Books On Education Philosophy Politics Pop Culture Spiritual Reflections Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 July 2025 June 2025 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 December 2023 June 2023 September 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the name of the field bought with Judas' betrayal money?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Potter's Field Golgotha Field of Blood Aceldama

Books by This Author John Mark Reynolds

See All Titles »