The line ‘poetry is music from the place we are born’ sets the tone for this new collection from Raymond Antrobus. Signs, Music is a collection centred around two lyric poems exploring soonto- be fatherhood and its eventual realities. Dealing with parenthood, family trauma cycles, and love, Antrobus has pulled together another meaningful poetry collection that delves into his issues with his late father and how these might affect his own relationship with his son.
Raymond Antrobus is a deaf poet who challenges the conventions of poetry by incorporating signing into his work. BSL is incorporated pictorially into Signs, Music and is woven into the poetry when considering his son’s first use of sign language, placing Antrobus’ identity as a deaf person firmly within the collection.
The two pieces, ‘Towards Naming’ and ‘The New Father,’ are epic poems that feel neverending, with an ever-evolving structure and techniques that enhance empathy and understanding. Evocative, contemplative poetry that opens the door for pondering the sense of self, Signs, Music explores generational trauma and the attempts to stem its continuation.
Delicate and open, like a wound, Signs, Music hits hard at the triggers being a father can cause when your own has been missing for a substantial part of your life.
Antrobus yet again challenges poetic convention with these two epic poems. Exploratory and intimate; as a reader it’s easy to feel affected by this poet’s past.
Signs, Music is out now, published by Picador. Available here.
