Seven prize-related accolades are scattered across the front and back covers of The Perseverance by Raymond Antrobus. I had high hopes going into this poetry collection – I’d even had a comment of ‘excellent choice’ from the bookseller when I purchased it – and I’m pleased to say it did not disappoint.
The opening poem Echo introduces experiences of Deafness in a myriad of ways, focusing on the memories Antrobus has of being diagnosed as a child. Hand signals introduce each part of the poem and this structure is used in later poems that explore the same theme. One of these poems is Dear Hearing World which contains a line that has been floating around my brain since reading it, “I tried, hearing people, I tried to love you, but you laughed at my deaf grammar”.
Within the pages of this collection, Antrobus also describes the histories of other deaf people wronged by a world that misunderstands them with tragic consequences. Two Guns in the Sky for Daniel Harris was particularly poignant, detailing a man shot by a policeman in the USA after simply getting out of a car and using sign language. Samantha is a gripping force of a poem following one woman’s experience of being belittled by her family and church because she cannot hear. Sprinkled throughout other poems, there are also reminders of how deafness impacts so many, “audiologists are preparing for the deafest generation in heard history”.
Antrobus’ poems about family and his British-Jamaican heritage are filled with tenderness and heartache. I re-read the titular poem The Perseverance several times in a row. Each re-read gave new meaning and squeezed my heart wishing for better for a young Raymond. The feelings evoked in this poem contrast with the final poem Happy Birthday Moon where the joy of time spent between father and son jumped off the page.
The Perseverance is the kind of poetry collection that reads more like small stories perfectly told that can be reread again and again. It’s a brilliant poetry collection for those new to poetry and lovers of the form alike.
Tori Pearmain 