Conspiracy of Light: Poems Inspired by the Legacy of C.S. Lewis

by D. S. Martin

Overview

There was a time in my youth when I would buy and read any and every book I discovered by C.S. Lewis. What I had found was that he wrote in a way that engaged my mind like no other writer. He was respected in a variety of fields, and held passionately to his faith in Christ. Years later, when I began rereading his books, I was surprised to find that many of the ideas I'd held as my own had been planted by Lewis. Each of the poems in Conspiracy of Light springs directly from something Lewis wrote, or from events in his life. The source for some will be obvious, even to casual readers of Lewis. The notes at the end of this book, although unnecessary for reading the poems, direct readers back to the source material. I would be pleased if my poems expand readers' appreciation of Lewis and bring them back to his work. November 22nd of this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the death of C.S. Lewis. His is a legacy that will continue to grow as the years pass. Here I honor him, and the one for whom he wrote.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781725248922
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	10/23/2013
Series:	Poiema Poetry Series , #9
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	122
File size:	560 KB

About the Author

D.S. Martin is known internationally for his blog Kingdom Poets. His previous poetry collections include Poiema (2008), which was honored as a winner at the Word Awards, and a chapbook, So The Moon Would Not Be Swallowed. His poems have appeared in such publications as Anglican Theological Review, The Christian Century, Convivium, Ruminate, Sehnsucht, and Sojourners. He lives in the Toronto area, where he edits the other collections in the Poiema Poetry Series.
D.S. Martin is known internationally for his blog Kingdom Poets. His previous poetry collections include Poiema (2008), which was honored as a winner at the Word Awards, and a chapbook, So The Moon Would Not Be Swallowed. His poems have appeared in such publications as Anglican Theological Review, The Christian Century, Convivium, Ruminate, Sehnsucht, and Sojourners. He lives in the Toronto area, where he edits the other collections in the Poiema Poetry Series.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Part 1 From a Deep Well of Memory

Of This & Other Worlds 3

The Longing 4

Proof 5

Silent Walks 7

Broadcast Talks 8

Oxford Diptych 9

Hedonics 11

An Aversion to Film 12

Surprise by Joy 13

Grief Observed 14

Part 2 More than Somewhat Like That

Extrapolations 17

The Sacred Fish 18

Bottle 20

The Coinage of Your Brian 21

The Possibilities 22

If A Poet 23

Canine Inquiry 25

The Dogs 26

Metaphor 27

The Mona Lisa Speaks 28

Forming a Line 29

The Diver (The Grand Miracle) 30

Part 3 What the Poet Sings

The Poet Weaves Three Worlds 35

Something 36

Mr Milton Tries to Read The Philosopher's Stone 37

The Dark Clown 38

Look at a Poem as You Would a Window 39

On the Brink of Niagara 40

A Rabbit Tale 41

Lazarus to Stephen 42

In Search of Shakespeare 43

The Worlds Last Night 44

A Traveller in an Antique Land 45

Adoring 46

Part 4 Ready to Re-Ignite

The Humiliation 49

Nocturne with Monkey 50

Thrist 51

On a Summer's Day 52

About the Feeder 53

The Abolition of Man 54

Moon Landing 55

Life on Other Planets 56

Flamboyance 57

In the Shelterless Street 58

To Know 59

Passage 60

Piano Lesson 61

Democracy 62

After Evensong 63

Waiting 64

Truth in Myth 65

On the Latest Impending Doom 66

Part 5 With New Eyes

The Great Divorce 69

Wisdom from Malacandra 71

Innocence of Perelandra 73

The Somnambulist 74

What Lucy Saw 75

A Parliament of Owls 76

Contemplation 77

The Shove & Tumble 78

Among the Tombs 79

Aping Presence 80

Part 6 Playful Pulse

Psalm of Incarnation 83

The Death of Words 84

Winterlake 85

The Silence of One Voice 86

Undergrowth 87

Part 7 Sailing Through Mist

The Atlantic 91

Tumbled by the Surf 92

Apologetics 93

Lion 94

Ghost Ship 95

Wick 96

The Vocation of Maples 97

Plastic Flute 98

Signature 99

Destination 100

Notes & Acknowledgements 101

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"D.S. Martin's lovely suite of poems, written in response to the legacy of C.S. Lewis, will delight all lovers of Lewis's work as each new poem picks out and sheds light on different facets of Lewis's genius. . . . Amidst the long shelves of writing about Lewis, this slim volume will give more pleasure, show more insight, and win more friends than most."
—Malcolm Guite, author of Sounding the Seasons

"Don Martin's new poetry not only sheds new light on Lewis's life and vision, but enlarges, crystallizes, and embodies themes of import to Lewis, and to all of us as readers. Conspiracy of Light is an expansive, exploratory, and reflective invitation to fresh understandings of Lewis, who, a poet himself, might find in these imaginative re-creations a worthy tribute. Martin's penetrating yet accessible poems shine their points of light on Lewis and on life."
—Luci Shaw, winner of the 2013 Denise Levertov Award and author of Scape

"D.S. Martin has visited the heart o f the great Christian apologist and novelist, C.S. Lewis, and come back with a message of confidence. Here are poems that affirm the holiness of what is at hand and what lies ahead, poems that have the courage to live in light."
—Richard Greene, winner of the 2010 Governor General's Award for Poetry for Boxing the Compass

Editorial Reviews

"D.S. Martin's lovely suite of poems, written in response to the legacy of C.S. Lewis, will delight all lovers of Lewis's work as each new poem picks out and sheds light on different facets of Lewis's genius. . . . Amidst the long shelves of writing about Lewis, this slim volume will give more pleasure, show more insight, and win more friends than most."
—Malcolm Guite, author of Sounding the Seasons

"Don Martin's new poetry not only sheds new light on Lewis's life and vision, but enlarges, crystallizes, and embodies themes of import to Lewis, and to all of us as readers. Conspiracy of Light is an expansive, exploratory, and reflective invitation to fresh understandings of Lewis, who, a poet himself, might find in these imaginative re-creations a worthy tribute. Martin's penetrating yet accessible poems shine their points of light on Lewis and on life."
—Luci Shaw, winner of the 2013 Denise Levertov Award and author of Scape

"D.S. Martin has visited the heart o f the great Christian apologist and novelist, C.S. Lewis, and come back with a message of confidence. Here are poems that affirm the holiness of what is at hand and what lies ahead, poems that have the courage to live in light."
—Richard Greene, winner of the 2010 Governor General's Award for Poetry for Boxing the Compass

From the Publisher