Michael Ondaatje has always been a poet – it is how he began his career 50 years ago – although he is more famous as a novelist and especially for his 1992 Booker prize-winning The English Patient (which also won the Golden Man Booker in 2018). In A Year of Last Things, he is writing about last – and lost – things. He is not interested in the known quantity, has always been more at home with the unknown, and is extraordinarily attuned to hauntings, to the idea that missing pieces are likely to inform whatever remains. The opening poem, Lock, begins:

He enjoys reading and finds joy in reading.

She puts them in her pocket.
on

Hopes to pass away while fully dressed

Containing stanzas without any tears.

In acknowledging the value of “unraveled verses,” one appreciates the allure of imperfection.

Definition follows Lock in a generous poem, where every word presents something fresh.

I walk around aimlessly for hours in the area without structure, measuring thirteen hundred.
pages of a Sanskrit dictionary

There are a total of pages in a Sanskrit dictionary.
with its verbs for holy obsessions,
the name for an alcove
of coin washers whose fingers glint
Dark lead and silver grains were present throughout the entire night.

The use of the Sanskrit language is like creating currency, and Ondaatje discovers a valuable treasure. It is invigorating to use a dictionary not to simply find a word you already know, but to uncover something new. Ondaatje, who has a mixed background of Tamil, Sinhalese and Dutch heritage and has mainly resided in Canada, has always been a wanderer. However, in this poem, language serves as his mode of transportation. The sense of the exotic is heightened by moments of surprise and delight in unexpected connections and focal points, as with the occupation of the person counting birds: “the census taker of birds”.

Ondaatje is a connoisseur – and creator – of atmospheres. This valedictory collection brims with rivers – rivers not so much like Lethe as ones that remember. At their best, his poems take you into an elsewhere, although his taste for the mysterious occasionally seems too much of a default position. Keats might have been right that unheard melodies are sweetest, but there are too many quick enigmas here: “the notes of an unknown bird” or “some unread letter, written long ago”, from Mask.

He has always held a strong interest in maps, much like the protagonist in his stunning novel “Warlight”. This anthology explores the concept of maps and the lack thereof. In “The Geography Sixth”, he discusses the significance of “obligatory maps of pilgrimages”. In “Bruise”, the maps he depends on have become tattered. And in “The Great Impermanence”, he reflects on how in the past, our hearts were guided by far fewer travel maps.

How can we explore the past? Ondaatje’s use of photographs is reminiscent of WG Sebald’s style, and he also includes a gentle poem about a lover’s past (an idea that Julian Barnes explored in his envious novel). In The Then, Ondaatje muses:

A strange awakening thought at 7am
From this life, I want to remove and replace with what I could have experienced

Before we met, there are photographs of you.

The poet’s works expressing his sorrow over the passing of his dog and cat are also remarkable – filled with dignity and devoid of sentimentality. We are only informed that Stella is a dog seven lines into the piece, and the narrative then evolves into a more intense display of grief through a final question.

However, my mind keeps going back to the enigmatic puzzle of the journey to Fez. The narrator recalls a woman he met on the bus who also seems to be a presence in his life, perhaps even a love interest. However, it is unclear if she is a real person or a figment of his imagination. She could be a part of himself or even the most important person to him.

I’m unable to reword this as it is the title of a book and cannot be rewritten in a different way.

Early in the morning, before the sun rose, there was a thunderstorm.

,
During the final hours before her passing,

Her opponents arrived. A raccoon, that tempest.

The FedEx truck was operated by a cordial female driver.

The person had recently experienced the loss of her own beloved pet.

Reflecting on the woman who was typically her rival.
which she

It is possible that our dog perceived the sorrow within her.

invaded the
previous night, a raccoon trespassed

previously, a raccoon had intruded during the night

The fence was illuminated by the shining light of the moon.

I observed our canine companion drinking loudly from the fountain.
theg

She is so dehydrated, her small frame craving fluids! She is unable to sense anything.
the creature who continued

Next to the fence and went out of sight.

There are countless things to be learned, so continue learning.
enews PROVIDED

In recent days, observing using news HAVE OFFERED.
have a barrier

With the acknowledgment that there may be an obstacle in our way.

I have not yet acquired knowledge, but I will in the future.

We have decreased in number, but how can we increase our numbers?

Ways to pass away gracefully and with grace.
from intruders

Safeguarding her residence, securing our entryway against trespassers.

Source: theguardian.com