Review: Gracious Nature by Robert J. Tiess

A tender and timely reflection on our beloved planet, Gracious Nature: Poems on Earth and Life by Robert J. Tiess is a poetic love song to the land we so often overlook.

With an unwavering reverence for life that loyal readers will recognize, this latest collection winds from playful and self-reflective to dramatic and dire, acknowledging the awesome power and unexpected fragility of nature. Some of the pieces offer a compelling rhythm and energy, creating a sense of urgency and the raw tension of the natural world, particularly in “The Music of the Wolves” and “Overcoming.” Later sections of the collection move into more abstract subjects – of inexorable time and dauntless plant growth, the movement of clouds, or the untouched purity of a virgin landscape.

The lyrical and observational poetry is also peppered with more intense pieces, such as “Recipe for Mass Extinction Number Six” and “At One’s Disposal,” which highlight the role humanity has played in environmental alteration and breakdown. Standout lines will linger in readers long after the last line: “what happens elsewhere hits us here / behind these panes, these stories that / may seem to say we stand apart / from everything beyond, below / Now smoke’s within us, we should know.”

The poet’s mastery of language affords space and freedom to play with format and the visual impact of a poem on the page, as exemplified in “Breaching” and “Consulting the Oak,” which blur the rigid line between form, function, and emotion. Tiess achieves this through profound observation and awareness of interconnections, linking relatable emotions to environmental wonders, and imminent threats. The purpose behind the poet’s work seems clear – to praise and appreciate the abundance and beauty of nature, while also recognizing our responsibility and relationship to the world around us, and each facet is brought to the fore with lyrical insight.

Stylistically, the poetry varies widely, from free verse musings and impassioned diatribes to carefully crafted and metered verses, boasting intricate rhyme schemes, assonance, consonance, and intentionality behind every chosen word. This is the third complete collection from Tiess, and it rings with the confidence of an established and experimental writer, one who understands the personal assignment and direction of each poem, thus giving the book cohesion, despite its eclectic styles.

There are some pieces that feel less polished, and in a collection approaching two hundred pages, these weaker elements could have been trimmed with no loss to the overall work. Poems like “On the Nature and History of Influence” and “Peaceable Earth Beginning With Me” are nearly complete, but land somewhat flat after the earlier poems set a standard. On the technical side, there are occasional inconsistencies in the metered poems, where an extra syllable jams up the flow or a slant rhyme is forced into place.

That said, the vast majority of these pieces deliver their intended impact, summoning vivid images and stirring emotions. Whether you have a casual relationship with nature or understand its intricacies and challenges, this is a revitalizing and thought-provoking collection with a truly skilled and patient draftsman at the helm.