Wickerwork

In this collection, translated from the German by noted scholar Siebert, are works from several projects that are brought together for the first time in English. This is nature poetry at its most keenly observant, threaded through with references to spirituality, faith, and awe. Poems are simply titled with the name of their subject, and the concept of naming is visited repeatedly in the group of poems. Lehnert, who is also a Lutheran priest, has a way of teasing out the sacred and inspiring from even the most ordinary subjects. Poems featuring birds, trees, and plants are here, as are pieces about lichen, bacteria, and fungus. Frequently, Lehnert brings scientific and spiritual concerns together in one poem, highlighting the miraculous and the mundane that coexist in the natural world. The inclusion of both English and German language versions of the poems provide opportunity for multi-lingual readers to better understand the process of translation.