While much of Hansen’s verses focus on the splendor of “the beauty of the setting sun and the spectacular panorama,” or else “the warmth of the summer sun and the light, salty breeze,”, some poems stray from the space of gratitude and presence into a darker, at times mysterious perspective. “A constant eye is upon me,” he writes in “The Eye,” and though that entry’s narrator wishes to escape that relentless gaze, he cannot; the eye then takes “away his freedoms.” For a poem of so few words, Hansen packs layers of meaning that delve into the political, sociological, and psychological—and such dark moments have the effect of brightening the light ones.
Towards the end of the collection, he includes a section titled “Love Poems for Kristen,” that is composed of brief, romantic verses that also incorporate the poet’s reverence for the natural world. “When we met,” Hansen writes in “Miracles,” “the universe grew // to make room for our love,” yet the despair he writes about in “Cycle of Salvation” or “Demons” persists. The only antidote for it, it seems, is the love the speaker shares with his muse: “I want to float in the heavens forever. // But I know you are waiting on Earth, // so I return home”. Or perhaps the act of artistic creation is crucial, too.
Takeaway: Heartfelt verse homage to sunsets, ocean shores, and the gifts of nature
Comparable Titles: Tyler Knott Gregson, Rupi Kaur
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