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| Saturday, July 21, 2007
Book > Five Right Angles by Aaron Lee Writer : Dawn Fung Five Right AnglesAaron Lee's latest collection of poetry, Five Right Angles, is not taxing. Somehow, you feel that it does not matter whether or not you get through it (unlike sitting through bewildering avant garde art by oneself) as opposed to giving it a try. Try "Caravaggio's Dream" and float up a room 'in which other people have died', or "The Best Little Poem in the Whole World", 'of a child/ with eyes closed and a man/ thinking thoughts far older/ than himself'. "Longing" compares the situation of beloved fairytale figures before the rescue, while the facing page's "Going Away" plays back a memory of a young boy caught in the middle of a parental separation, blaming his mother who 'pushed me down that road'. Such observations line the book with juxtaposed content. Sometimes it was a peculiar rhythm, other times it was the memory suggested within the lines that made sense in the context of a place that I stood now. Like "Star-gazing in Cappadocia" (penned by Lee for his wife), reading it aloud to a loved one was particularly delightful, since it didn't matter so much that he listened as much as I said it. Or "Departure", spoken incidentally next to water, even as the poem charts the course of lovers. Lee' structures are easy enough to read - on the ears and eyes - yet thoughtfully layered for the investigation. If you must, start with the title Five Right Angles, of a non-existent geometric form. And what doesn't physically manifest is ironically, possible for the imagination to draw ; we sing without disbelief the fantastical folk ballads as children because we surmise that is how we always begin to make sense of this side of life. Take one from the bible : We are infinite beings in finite bodies to be resurrected on the last day in the twinkle of an eye, with new selves that are unfathomably familial. So in fact, the impossible shape of five right angles is discussed in familiar ways. I quote from the title poem, "You, me, this very conversation - all vectors that/with the calculus of time, discloses infinitives". Lines like 'the next world will be made of paper/ and our lives only lines of ink' from "What To Say To Loved Ones On An Occasion Like This" are no strange comprehension. The works are merely nudging us to observe what we've already known inwardly - either they are the results of our participation towards some end or they abide by our existence, intact conscience. The attraction of Five Right Angles lies close to why I appreciate folk songs. Like a cooked lyric that filters through the tongue, it demands subsequent bites before you understand its flavour, and fill. I found it important to digest Five Right Angles slowly because otherwise, I might miss. The collection makes for thoughtful conversation for readers and subtle training for writers. The book sits in my bag, available as and when I need it. Read more about Five Right Angles at Ethos Books.
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