Stories from Eden is a poetry collection crammed with questions - some capable of responses, most not. But they are being asked anyway, and in such original imagery that we are captivated, even though some of us might also admit to a frisson of unease. Carla Martin-Wood's poetry cannot be read without a seat-shifting sense of discomfort. Because she is upending the reader's preconceptions; because she has dared to turn "Wait a minute, you've got it wrong" into an art form. Her command of language leaves us in no doubt that poetry is her soul's offering. For all its unnerving insight into the broken legends we have created and then clumsily reconstructed, the poet's gift is wrapped in beauty. When we open it, an abused child (or planet) might huddle inside - next to a Medusa or Lilith reminding us that Eve is strictly derivative. Once unfolded, none of the old stories can be put back. Instead, they must be reshaped until they're accurate and true, even if some of the glimmer fades. As Martin-Wood's astonishing work attests, all endings are left entirely up to us, seeing whole/the great, gifted earth ("The frozen butterfly"). She sets a table laden with alarming varieties of nourishment, much of which we approach with hesitation - but none of which will actually do us harm. And reaching to sample each selection, we can't help noticing those lidless eyes watching from a shadowed branch. In the process, we're treated to an unforgettable journey. No thoughtful reader could or should demand more. - Brenda Levy Tate, Pushcart Prize nominee, author of Wingflash (The Pink Petticoat Press, 2011)
