Review of Ocean by Sue Goyette and Timely Irreverence by Jay MillAr

Weidner, Chad

English

Scholars Commons

The Goose
Volume 13 | No. 1 Article 5
7-3-2014
Ocean by Sue Goyette and Timely Irreverence by
Jay MillAr
Chad Weidner
University College Roosevelt, Utrecht University
Part of the Literature in English, North America Commons, Nature and Society Relations
Commons, Place and Environment Commons, and the Poetry Commons
Follow this and additional works at / Suivez-nous ainsi que d’autres travaux et œuvres:
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This article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Goose by an
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Cet article vous est accessible gratuitement et en libre accès grâce à Scholars Commons @ Laurier. Le texte a été approuvé pour faire partie intégrante
de la revue The Goose par un rédacteur autorisé de Scholars Commons @ Laurier. Pour de plus amples informations, contactez
scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Recommended Citation / Citation recommandée
Weidner, Chad. "Ocean by Sue Goyette and Timely Irreverence by Jay MillAr." The Goose, vol. 13 , no. 1 , article 5, 2014,
https://scholars.wlu.ca/thegoose/vol13/iss1/5.
Poetry as Nature-Life Interface 
 
Ocean by SUE GOYETTE 
Gaspereau, 2013 $19.95 
 
Timely Irreverence by JAY MILLAR  
Nightwood Editions, 2013 $18.95 
 
Reviewed by CHAD WEIDNER 
 
 An essential question that good 
poetry forces us to ask is whether our 
ordinary lives can generate interesting 
material for art. Two recent collections of 
poetry explore the numerous ways poetry 
can serve as an interface for humans and 
art. Overall, both Sue Goyette’s Ocean and 
Jay MillAr’s Timely Irreverence are highly 
recommended for those who enjoy the 
quiet places poetry can take us, and the 
ways in which literature helps us express 
the depth and fullness of human lives. 
Ocean is Sue Goyette’s fourth 
collection of poetry, and is published by 
Gaspereau Press. The distinctive cover is 
appealing, and while secondary to the 
content of the collection, reminds us of the 
tactile feel of good poetry. Moreover, the 
cover anticipates the care with which the 
words inside are carefully crafted. While 
Ocean is divided into 56 separate lyrics, a 
thread of nature-experience ties all the 
poems together, neatly and tightly. Not 
surprising in a volume entitled Ocean, the 
collection is founded on deep ecological 
issues such as the timeless human 
relationship to the sea. But at the same 
time, Ocean exposes subtle changes in 
human culture, and the ways in which we 
conceive of our position in the universe. But 
Ocean is not simply another writer’s 
anthropomorphized view of nature.  
The collection certainly paints an 
anthropomorphized sense of the human 
relationship to the sea. Indeed, it may be 
impossible for humans to ever fully 
separate ourselves from our surroundings. 
More than that, Ocean deals with 
fundamental questions such as the ways in 
which poetry can function as a conduit 
between humans and the natural world. 
Poems here are indelibly marked by the 
distinctive geographical and cultural 
proximity of Nova Scotia to the sea, and to 
the wind beaten spaces where water comes 
together with the earth. Goyette calmly 
acknowledges the significance of this 
everyday fact as it shapes and impacts the 
lives of those who live there. The sea thus 
functions as a deep and rich poetic cultural 
interface for everyday endeavors, including 
the predictable rise and fall of the sea. The 
figures that appear in the collection, traders 
and fishermen, might occasionally seem 
predictable, but they nevertheless remain 
powerful images of the human relationship 
to the water. We are also allowed private 
glimpses into the reciprocal relationship of 
these coastal people to the sea. The 
collection as a whole is a snug and valuable 
read for those interested in the places 
where poetry, human experience, and 
nature converge.  
While Goyette’s Ocean delves into 
the complex relationship between people 
and nature, Jay MillAr’s Timely Irreverence 
instead addresses the ways in which 
everyday human events generate the stuff 
of poetry. Jay MillAr is a highly successful 
author of several chapbooks and volumes of 
poetry, and this collection is composed with 
both dexterity and confidence. When 
picking up the book, I wondered how 
Canadian art might be distinctive from that 
found in other Anglo cultures, and the 
conclusion I came to was that Canadian 
culture remains situated in the middle place 
between culture and nature, and that many 
1
Weidner: Ocean by Sue Goyette and Timely Irreverence by Jay MillAr
Published by / Publié par Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2014
Canadian writers effectively navigate 
between the two in the pursuit of elusive 
poetry. In essence, MillAr’s book forces us 
to question the significance of the daily 
happenings in our lives, or at least allow 
ourselves to contemplate how routine 
events fill our lives with so much meaning. 
Timely Irreverence is broken down into 
three separate sections, but I do have some 
questions about the organization of the 
collection. I am not totally convinced that 
the attempt to impart internal coherence 
by inserting three separate sections is 
totally successful. Why three sections and 
not five? But this really is a minor gripe, 
since all of the poems in the collection are 
tied together by collective, playful, mordant 
snapshots of contemporary Canadian life. 
While many high-profile poets 
develop an unhealthy appreciation of self, 
MillAr’s poetry remains modest, inquisitive, 
and surprisingly self-reflexive. This is clear 
from one of the very first poems of the 
collection, “On Certain Incredible Nights,” 
where MillAr writes: “I’m content to be 
unseen with you. / On hold in the anger of 
the fog / or the silence. You must hear the 
rest / When the blood functions perilously. 
/ Who but you could hear such tiny points / 
Along these assumed terrorized shores?” 
This fragment reflects the larger collection 
well in its attention to silence, as well as the 
appreciation and even reverence of the 
evasive quality of well-written poetry. 
“Who but you could hear such tiny points / 
Along these assumed terrorized shores” 
shows the power of poetry to highlight the 
details that make our lives worthwhile as 
well as the assumptions we make about the 
perceived permanence of things. In the end, 
Timely Irreverence pushes us to accept the 
simplicity and transience of our existence. 
Both Sue Goyette’s Ocean and Jay 
MillAr’s Timely Irreverence provide 
welcome glimpses into contemporary 
Canadian existence through the inventive 
interface of nature and life poetry. If poetry 
really has the capacity to help save us, then 
these two books of poetry suggest that by 
remaining modest and attentive, we can 
find balance in our increasingly fragmented 
world. 
 
CHAD WEIDNER teaches English and film at 
University College Roosevelt, which is a 
faculty of Utrecht University, in the 
Netherlands. He has recently given a 
keynote lecture in ecocriticism at a 
symposium in China, and works as a 
reviewer in several capacities. He co-edited 
an issue of Comparative American Studies 
(Sept 2013), and is presently editing a book 
on radical experimental writing and 
ecocriticism. He is also co-convener of a 
seminar to be held on ecocriticism and the 
avant-garde in Brussels in December 2014. 
 
2
The Goose, Vol. 13, No. 1 [2014], Art. 5
https://scholars.wlu.ca/thegoose/vol13/iss1/5


Ocean by Sue Goyette and Timely Irreverence by Jay MillAr

Wilfrid Laurier University

The GooseVolume 13 | No. 1 Article 57-3-2014Ocean by Sue Goyette and Timely Irreverence byJay MillArChad WeidnerUniversity College Roosevelt, Utrecht UniversityPart of the Literature in English, North America Commons, Nature and Society RelationsCommons, Place and Environment Commons, and the Poetry CommonsFollow this and additional works at / Suivez-nous ainsi que d’autres travaux et œuvres:https://scholars.wlu.ca/thegooseThis article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Goose by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Cet article vous est accessible gratuitement et en libre accès grâce à Scholars Commons @ Laurier. Le texte a été approuvé pour faire partie intégrantede la revue The Goose par un rédacteur autorisé de Scholars Commons @ Laurier. Pour de plus amples informations, contactezscholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended Citation / Citation recommandéeWeidner, Chad. "Ocean by Sue Goyette and Timely Irreverence by Jay MillAr." The Goose, vol. 13 , no. 1 , article 5, 2014,https://scholars.wlu.ca/thegoose/vol13/iss1/5.Poetry as Nature-Life Interface  Ocean by SUE GOYETTE Gaspereau, 2013 $19.95  Timely Irreverence by JAY MILLAR  Nightwood Editions, 2013 $18.95  Reviewed by CHAD WEIDNER   An essential question that good poetry forces us to ask is whether our ordinary lives can generate interesting material for art. Two recent collections of poetry explore the numerous ways poetry can serve as an interface for humans and art. Overall, both Sue Goyette’s Ocean and Jay MillAr’s Timely Irreverence are highly recommended for those who enjoy the quiet places poetry can take us, and the ways in which literature helps us express the depth and fullness of human lives. Ocean is Sue Goyette’s fourth collection of poetry, and is published by Gaspereau Press. The distinctive cover is appealing, and while secondary to the content of the collection, reminds us of the tactile feel of good poetry. Moreover, the cover anticipates the care with which the words inside are carefully crafted. While Ocean is divided into 56 separate lyrics, a thread of nature-experience ties all the poems together, neatly and tightly. Not surprising in a volume entitled Ocean, the collection is founded on deep ecological issues such as the timeless human relationship to the sea. But at the same time, Ocean exposes subtle changes in human culture, and the ways in which we conceive of our position in the universe. But Ocean is not simply another writer’s anthropomorphized view of nature.  The collection certainly paints an anthropomorphized sense of the human relationship to the sea. Indeed, it may be impossible for humans to ever fully separate ourselves from our surroundings. More than that, Ocean deals with fundamental questions such as the ways in which poetry can function as a conduit between humans and the natural world. Poems here are indelibly marked by the distinctive geographical and cultural proximity of Nova Scotia to the sea, and to the wind beaten spaces where water comes together with the earth. Goyette calmly acknowledges the significance of this everyday fact as it shapes and impacts the lives of those who live there. The sea thus functions as a deep and rich poetic cultural interface for everyday endeavors, including the predictable rise and fall of the sea. The figures that appear in the collection, traders and fishermen, might occasionally seem predictable, but they nevertheless remain powerful images of the human relationship to the water. We are also allowed private glimpses into the reciprocal relationship of these coastal people to the sea. The collection as a whole is a snug and valuable read for those interested in the places where poetry, human experience, and nature converge.  While Goyette’s Ocean delves into the complex relationship between people and nature, Jay MillAr’s Timely Irreverence instead addresses the ways in which everyday human events generate the stuff of poetry. Jay MillAr is a highly successful author of several chapbooks and volumes of poetry, and this collection is composed with both dexterity and confidence. When picking up the book, I wondered how Canadian art might be distinctive from that found in other Anglo cultures, and the conclusion I came to was that Canadian culture remains situated in the middle place between culture and nature, and that many 1Weidner: Ocean by Sue Goyette and Timely Irreverence by Jay MillArPublished by / Publié par Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2014Canadian writers effectively navigate between the two in the pursuit of elusive poetry. In essence, MillAr’s book forces us to question the significance of the daily happenings in our lives, or at least allow ourselves to contemplate how routine events fill our lives with so much meaning. Timely Irreverence is broken down into three separate sections, but I do have some questions about the organization of the collection. I am not totally convinced that the attempt to impart internal coherence by inserting three separate sections is totally successful. Why three sections and not five? But this really is a minor gripe, since all of the poems in the collection are tied together by collective, playful, mordant snapshots of contemporary Canadian life. While many high-profile poets develop an unhealthy appreciation of self, MillAr’s poetry remains modest, inquisitive, and surprisingly self-reflexive. This is clear from one of the very first poems of the collection, “On Certain Incredible Nights,” where MillAr writes: “I’m content to be unseen with you. / On hold in the anger of the fog / or the silence. You must hear the rest / When the blood functions perilously. / Who but you could hear such tiny points / Along these assumed terrorized shores?” This fragment reflects the larger collection well in its attention to silence, as well as the appreciation and even reverence of the evasive quality of well-written poetry. “Who but you could hear such tiny points / Along these assumed terrorized shores” shows the power of poetry to highlight the details that make our lives worthwhile as well as the assumptions we make about the perceived permanence of things. In the end, Timely Irreverence pushes us to accept the simplicity and transience of our existence. Both Sue Goyette’s Ocean and Jay MillAr’s Timely Irreverence provide welcome glimpses into contemporary Canadian existence through the inventive interface of nature and life poetry. If poetry really has the capacity to help save us, then these two books of poetry suggest that by remaining modest and attentive, we can find balance in our increasingly fragmented world.  CHAD WEIDNER teaches English and film at University College Roosevelt, which is a faculty of Utrecht University, in the Netherlands. He has recently given a keynote lecture in ecocriticism at a symposium in China, and works as a reviewer in several capacities. He co-edited an issue of Comparative American Studies (Sept 2013), and is presently editing a book on radical experimental writing and ecocriticism. He is also co-convener of a seminar to be held on ecocriticism and the avant-garde in Brussels in December 2014.  2The Goose, Vol. 13, No. 1 [2014], Art. 5https://scholars.wlu.ca/thegoose/vol13/iss1/5

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Ocean by Sue Goyette and Timely Irreverence by Jay MillAr

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