There'S A Trick with A Knife I'M Learni Ng to Do (Paperback)

Michael Ondaatje's collection of poems from 1963 to 1978 is entitled There's a Trick I'm Learning to do, and the reason for this has become apparent to me as I have read it. The trick that Ondaatje has learned is the art of poetic efficiency (commonly referred to as the "less is more" technique.) He carves his poems with this metaphorical blade. Although the collection is not a masterpiece, I feel that there are enough successful poems to warrant a review.
Ondaatje opens the collection with an interesting poem entitled "Light." The poem has the persona sitting on a porch observing a storm. With every "spark of lightning," he sees a portrait of someone from his past. The poem turns into a slide show of family portraits. This interesting insight into the poet's mind acts as an effective opening poem. It allows the reader to prepare for a ride through the world of Michael Ondaatje's eyes.
The highlight of the collection is "The Time Around Scars." This poem deals with the idea that we all have scars, and with them the memories of what made them. Ondaatje reveals a personal incident, yet causes the readers to reflect upon their own scars; not only physical, but emotional. Ondaatje describes a scar as "it sleeps, smooth and white,\ the size of a leech" (15). His wonderful images continue as he refers to his wife's scars which are "like spread raindrops\ on knees and ankles" (15). Like the opening poem of the collection suggested, this poem is a picture show; revealing a bit more about life than merely the images, but always noticing the images.
Since Ondaatje is such a proficient imagist, other examples of his images should be noted. In "Diverse Causes," he paints a picture with "my daughter burns the lake\ by reflecting her red shoes in it" (9). Another interesting image is found in the poem "Signature." Ondaatje states that "everyone has scars which crawl\ into the mystery of swimming trunks" (10). Possibly the most unique image is found in the poem "Elizabeth," as he describes an apple with, "it shrunk like a face\ growing eyes and teeth ribs" (20). In "Burning Hills," he describes a wasp which is "crawling on the floor\ tumbling over, its motor fanatic" (44). This image promotes an auditory effect as well as the visual experience. A final interesting image is found in "Pig Glass." In this poem, he describes a breaking glass as the "booomm when glass\ tears free of its smoothness" (59).
Although some of his poems are at times difficult to thoroughly comprehend, Ondaatje must be praised as an imagist. He carves his poems in such a way that gaps appear, allowing readers to interpret the poems without constraint. The images carry the poems, and the mystery pushes them. If the "Trick With a Knife" that Ondaatje is learning is the act of efficiency, then his blade should be considered dangerously sharp.