The Water Between Us
The Water Between Us
POEMS by Shara McCallum
Series: Pitt Poetry Series
Copyright Date: 1999
Published by: University of Pittsburgh Press
https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t
Pages: 96
https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt9qh71t
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Book Info
The Water Between Us
Book Description:

1998 Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize winner.The Water Between Usis a poetic examination of cultural fragmentation, and the exile's struggle to reconcile the disparate and often conflicting influences of the homeland and the adopted country. The book also centers on other kinds of physical and emotional distances: those between mothers and daughters, those created by being of mixed racial descent, and those between colonizers and the colonized. Despite these distances, or perhaps because of them, the poems affirm the need for a multilayered and cohesive sense of self. McCallum's language is precise and graceful. Drawing from Anancy tales, Greek myth, and biblical stories, the poems deftly alternate between American English and Jamaican patois, and between images both familiar and surreal.

eISBN: 978-0-8229-8076-6
Subjects: Language & Literature
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Table of Contents
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  1. Front Matter
    Front Matter (pp. [i]-[v])
    https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.1
  2. Table of Contents
    Table of Contents (pp. [vi]-[viii])
    https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.2
  3. I
    • In the Garden of Banana and Coconut Trees
      In the Garden of Banana and Coconut Trees (pp. 3-3)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.3
    • Apple
      Apple (pp. 4-4)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.4
    • Pleasant Hill
      Pleasant Hill (pp. 5-6)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.5
    • 8 Hope Road
      8 Hope Road (pp. 7-7)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.6
    • Poem Where My Mother and Father Are Absent
      Poem Where My Mother and Father Are Absent (pp. 8-9)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.7
    • What I Saved
      What I Saved (pp. 10-10)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.8
    • The Perfect Heart
      The Perfect Heart (pp. 11-11)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.9
    • Fruit
      Fruit (pp. 12-12)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.10
    • The Feast to Celebrate His Majesty’s Birthday
      The Feast to Celebrate His Majesty’s Birthday (pp. 13-13)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.11
    • First Rites
      First Rites (pp. 14-14)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.12
    • Mother,
      Mother, (pp. 15-15)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.13
    • The Awakening
      The Awakening (pp. 16-16)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.14
    • jack mandoora me no choose none
      jack mandoora me no choose none (pp. 17-28)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.15
  4. II
    • What Lies Beneath
      What Lies Beneath (pp. 31-31)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.16
    • Debt
      Debt (pp. 32-32)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.17
    • The Spell
      The Spell (pp. 33-33)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.18
    • The Evolution of Useful Things
      The Evolution of Useful Things (pp. 34-34)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.19
    • poppies
      poppies (pp. 35-35)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.20
    • What the Stories Teach
      What the Stories Teach (pp. 36-36)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.21
    • Dove
      Dove (pp. 37-37)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.22
    • For you sweetheart,
      For you sweetheart, (pp. 38-39)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.23
    • Something Like Flying
      Something Like Flying (pp. 40-40)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.24
    • The Remains
      The Remains (pp. 41-41)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.25
    • Darkling I Listen
      Darkling I Listen (pp. 42-42)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.26
  5. III
    • May 1981
      May 1981 (pp. 45-45)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.27
    • What I’m Telling You
      What I’m Telling You (pp. 46-46)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.28
    • Sunset on the Wharf
      Sunset on the Wharf (pp. 47-47)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.29
    • Losing Footing
      Losing Footing (pp. 48-48)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.30
    • What We Forget
      What We Forget (pp. 49-49)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.31
    • Jamaica, 1978
      Jamaica, 1978 (pp. 50-50)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.32
    • Jamaica, October 18, 1972
      Jamaica, October 18, 1972 (pp. 51-51)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.33
    • Persephone Sets the Record Straight
      Persephone Sets the Record Straight (pp. 52-53)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.34
    • Mother Love
      Mother Love (pp. 54-54)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.35
    • untitled
      untitled (pp. 55-55)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.36
    • What my mother taught me:
      What my mother taught me: (pp. 56-56)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.37
    • Lullaby
      Lullaby (pp. 57-57)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.38
    • Discubriendo una Fotografía de Mi Madre
      Discubriendo una Fotografía de Mi Madre (pp. 58-58)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.39
    • Yu no send. Me no come.
      Yu no send. Me no come. (pp. 59-61)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.40
    • In my other life,
      In my other life, (pp. 62-62)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.41
    • Seed
      Seed (pp. 63-64)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.42
  6. IV
    • the sirens’ defense
      the sirens’ defense (pp. 67-67)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.43
    • A Warning
      A Warning (pp. 68-68)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.44
    • Siren Isles
      Siren Isles (pp. 69-69)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.45
    • I Promise You This
      I Promise You This (pp. 70-70)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.46
    • Enough
      Enough (pp. 71-71)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.47
    • The Sea Returns
      The Sea Returns (pp. 72-72)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.48
    • The Daughter, Left
      The Daughter, Left (pp. 73-73)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.49
    • When I think of you,
      When I think of you, (pp. 74-74)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.50
    • Calypso
      Calypso (pp. 75-76)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.51
    • Apsara
      Apsara (pp. 77-77)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.52
    • Two Sides
      Two Sides (pp. 78-78)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.53
    • The Fisherman’s Wife
      The Fisherman’s Wife (pp. 79-79)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.54
    • The Meeting
      The Meeting (pp. 80-81)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.55
    • The Exchange
      The Exchange (pp. 82-82)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.56
    • The Choice Made
      The Choice Made (pp. 83-83)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.57
    • The tragedy of the mermaid
      The tragedy of the mermaid (pp. 84-84)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.58
    • What the Oracle Said
      What the Oracle Said (pp. 85-86)
      https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.59
  7. Acknowledgments
    Acknowledgments (pp. 87-88)
    https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9qh71t.60