A BOOK REVIEW BY CHRISSI SEPE

Christina Strigas is a Montreal poet who has published several poetry books, including Love & Vodka and Love & Metaxa.  Her words are raw and honest, written in a stream-of-consciousness style, and they reveal the inner life of a woman in love, a brave mother, and a human being who seeks to see beauty in the simple, everyday things. Her newest poetry book, Love & Gaia, completes this trilogy, but rather than speaking the thoughts of a woman, this book is told through the point of view of our planet Earth.

All the poems in Love & Gaia were originally written by hand in Christina’s journal.  Perhaps this method helped her get closer to our physical world than if she had used technology? 

In Love & Gaia, our Earth has a voice.  In one poem, the tree expresses its sorrow: “My cousin’s arms connected to mine. We were together for over four hundred years. I heard some humans and their machines coming closer, but we could not run.”

In another poem, the shells collected at the beach tell their feelings: “Take me out of the plastic bag that has killed my soul. Place me in a jar. People love to stare at me. Sometimes pick me up.”

Love & Gaia reminds us of our connection to the earth and prompts us to not take it for granted.  Christina also dedicates a chapter to “Tea Leaves,” reciting how green tea is a natural elixir: “You make my mind stop tossing and turning. Somehow, I am calm when you are on my lips.”

As a special bonus, each chapter features black and white illustrations that perfectly complement the poems printed beside them. My favorite is a drawing of a tea bag personified. The tea bag’s clothes are its tag and string, and its hat is an upside down teacup. 

Christina Strigas’ unique ode to nature is creative and refreshing.  I have never read a poetry book like Love & Gaia, and I will never take nature for granted again.

(Photo of Christina Strigas)

Christina’s book can be purchased at Amazon, here, and at Barnes & Noble, here.

Chrissi Sepe’s most recent appearance at Fast Pop was here.