Elisa Gabbert’s Normal Distance isn’t your typical poetry collection. It’s a book steeped in the anxieties of the 2020s, a time when “normal” feels perpetually out of reach. This “bad news poem,” as some might call it, delves into the everyday struggles of existence, the melancholy that permeates our lives, and the constant, underlying current of bad news that shapes our reality. But it does so with a remarkable clarity and wit, offering not despair, but a shared understanding of our collective predicament.
Contents
Navigating the Abyss of the Quotidian
Gabbert’s poems explore the “culs-de-sac in the abyss,” the dead ends we encounter in our daily routines. The seemingly mundane becomes a source of contemplation, revealing the anxieties and uncertainties that simmer beneath the surface. “Every year, when the lindens bloom, I think of the year / when the lindens didn’t bloom,” she writes, highlighting how the ordinary can become imbued with a sense of unease, a reminder of the fragility of normalcy. The poems resonate with a quiet desperation, a sense of being stuck on third base, bases loaded, waiting for a resolution that never quite arrives.
A Playful Despair and Matter-of-Fact Sass
Despite the melancholic undertones, Gabbert’s poetry isn’t devoid of humor. Her “trademark even-keeled clairvoyance and matter-of-fact sass,” as Graham Foust observes, shine through, offering a wry commentary on the absurdity of it all. The poems acknowledge the weight of the world, the constant barrage of bad news, but they also find a way to laugh at the absurdity, to find humor in the darkness. This playful despair allows the poems to resonate with readers who recognize the same struggles in their own lives.
Suffering, Boredom, and the Search for Meaning
Normal Distance doesn’t shy away from difficult themes. Suffering, in its various forms, pervades the collection. Gabbert explores the human tendency to both deny and be addicted to suffering, recognizing it as an inevitable part of the human condition. She even points to boredom as a form of suffering, a state of being so pervasive it threatens to consume us. “The secret to immortality is boredom. If you’re bored enough you’ll never die,” she writes, a statement both darkly humorous and profoundly insightful.
The Wisdom of Indecision and the Power of Desire
Gabbert’s poems embrace indecision, a state of being that feels particularly relevant in our current era. “Everything reminds me of it, but I don’t know what “it” is,” she writes, capturing the feeling of being surrounded by anxieties and uncertainties without a clear understanding of their source. This indecision isn’t presented as a weakness, but rather as a reflection of the complexities of life. She also delves into the power of desire, recognizing it as both a driving force and a potential barrier. “What it wants is desire. / A barrier to crossing / the chasm of the day,” she observes, highlighting the complex relationship between our desires and our ability to navigate the challenges of everyday existence.
A Shared Solidarity and a Blazing Conversation
Ultimately, Normal Distance offers a sense of solidarity. Gabbert’s poems invite us to recognize our shared human experience, to acknowledge the anxieties and uncertainties that connect us. The collection sparks a “blazing conversation towards philosophy,” as Bianca Stone notes, encouraging us to grapple with the big questions about life, meaning, and our place in the universe. Through precise language, playful questioning, and wise observations, Gabbert creates a collection that is both thought-provoking and deeply moving, a “bad news poem” that offers a glimmer of hope in the shared recognition of our human condition.