Adam O'Riordan - In The Flesh

I have just received Adam O'Riordan's debut collection of poetry, In the Flesh, which is full of beautifully constructed poems about love, loss, sorrow and life. Here are the ghosts of forebears, the shadows of lovers; a deep-rooted sense of place, and a careful exploration of the mind. My particular favourite is Blossom, in which a 'knuckle' of petals is used to wake a sleeping beloved as 'a burning feather / might revive a castaway.' There is tenderness and toughness at work throughout these verses. An evocative, haunting work.