Ant Mac presents his third volume of poetry in The Body’s Politics: Mind, Body and Soul where a reader is taken through a journey through the mind, body and soul.  This collection of poems is an invitation to re-evaluate our positions and roles in society, drawing attention to our contemporary circumstances and particular state of the world. By using a variation of the word “body politic” in the title, Ant Mac directs us to pay heed to the collective that we are meant to be.

 

The book is divided into three sections titled Mind, Body and Soul, having 13, 20 and 9 poems in each of the sections respectively (42 poems in total). These three parts work in tandem and one complements the other. However, by design, sometimes these aspects are on opposing teams. This is by itself a natural metaphor for living this life, full of moments that are either in harmony or in contradiction. Don’t we all have multiple moments every day where the body, mind and soul are either working in tandem or pulling us in different directions?

 

The poems in this collection are of varied lengths and the poet pays close heed to the words he uses. Some are in rhyme and some in assonance, creating a rhythm and meter that the poet uses to create the emotional mood in each poem. Much attention has been paid to the metaphors in the poems as well. The following is from the poem “Hire a Key” where the poet delves into the arena of chess and brings alive the squares of black and white where many a battle plays out:

 

The Queen has all the power

while foot soldiers goad the king

though he may be important

the church ahead of hymn

…

the territory taken

with patience wearing thin

when black on white is shaken

who turns the tide to win?

 

This is evidently not just a commentary on chess but a more direct allusion to the system that we are all trapped in. The poet often ends a poem with a direct question to the reader, sometimes gently nudging and at others with a more direct goad to think of our own role in society, though on the surface it may just seem to be a philosophical question to himself. As individuals do we lack moral compass, or do we turn a blind eye to the woes that besiege the various sections of society that are divided by religion, economy or by gender? The answers are rather obvious if we look within.

 

Some of the poems are on the theme of loss (and love) and appeal to the reader’s emotions.

 

From The Thief:

…

wiping the prints that I had left

I sneaked out silent like a cat

I felt so deep out of my depth

the test will be to not come back

 

now as I lay here on my bed

safe at last or so it may seem

yet every second and waking breath

I wish you'd caught me in your dream.

 

The tone is gentler and a request on a sentimental level that we reflect on who we are. The meter of the poem is different and somehow makes the overall impact gentler and more wistful.

 

In the poem “Plastic People”, the poet makes a more direct comment on the state of the economy, cashless society, inflation and budget cuts.

…

the house looked like a castle

now begs another coat

the budget cuts are looming

I think they need a vote

paid heavily for sleeping

it’s time we all awoke.

 

The section titled “Body” has poems that are more sensorial and some of them are directly linked to our apprehension of the sphere we live in. For instance, in “Vocal”:

 

a prisoner to chaos

the loss of rights or choice

though you may walk in silence

believe, 

you too still have a voice!

 

And in “Filters”:

 

What we hear

What we say

What we remember in our way

…

What we smell

What we touch

What tells the body it has had too much? …

 

In this section too, Ant Mac makes use of various metaphors to draw the reader’s attention to issues that matter. The titles of the poems themselves give us a hint to the world he describes – The Pugilist, the Painter, Swimming, The Pirate. However, the matter alluded to in each of these poems is not trivial, it demands the reader’s attention, perhaps even our collective attention. From “The Painter”:

 

Don't judge the paint

or blame the brush

the chips on shoulders

adds weight to crush

…

the depth of mourning

reveals the light

until colour matters less

black, brown or white. 

 

The poems in the section “Soul” are more philosophical in tone. The mood is more optimistic. In “Elevation”, the poet has a more upbeat voice where he uses the image of a plumule in spring breaking through the soil and moving towards the light.

 

And from “Solidarity”:

…

hold close and firm all those around you

bring them back into the fold

in company provide them council

a friendship worth much more than gold.

 

Ant Mac appeals to the reader to stop the slumber and wake. Something that can’t be delayed in the current scheme of things in the world. Yet, he isn’t vituperative or filled with a yang-like force. While many issues trouble and haunt the poet, his poetry appeals to the reader to question, to analyse and to act.