Singing the Forge by G.H. Mosson (Book Review #2218)

In Singing the Forge, G.H. Mosson presents a collection of poetry that feels at once deeply personal and broadly resonant, offering readers a lyrical meditation on what has shaped us as individuals and as a community across time. The book is structured to intertwine the poet’s own reflections with vivid glimpses into the lives of men and women spanning the past two centuries, creating a chorus of voices that remind us how personal history and collective history are inseparably linked.

Mosson’s poems move fluidly between free verse, traditional meter, and organic form, allowing each piece to find its own rhythm while contributing to the larger symphony of the collection. His work is attentive to the textures of everyday life—the “songless streets of Baltimore,” the mysterious companionship of trees, and the intimate contours of memory. There is a painterly quality to his language, reflecting his engagement with visual artists such as Hans Hofman, Philip Guston, and Henry Moore, whose influence infuses his verbal landscapes with precision and depth.

The collection does not shy away from probing difficult truths, whether through the stark image of a nursing home “like a shark” swallowing patients or through meditations on loss, aging, and change. Yet even in these moments, Mosson’s voice remains humane, earnest, and searching for harmony, however fragile that harmony might be. His vision is not one of easy answers but of nuanced attunement to the complexity of living in a world always on the edge of both beauty and disintegration.

What makes Singing the Forge especially memorable is its capacity to mirror the reader’s own journey. Whether recalling childhood, reckoning with adulthood, or tracing the threads of memory and wonder, these poems extend an invitation to reflection. They encourage us to consider our place in the larger fabric of history and the ways in which our lives sing into the world.

G.H. Mosson has long been a distinctive voice in contemporary poetry, and this new collection affirms his place as a poet of insight and careful craft. Singing the Forge is a book to savor, cherish, and revisit, offering readers both challenge and consolation in equal measure.

Written by Jeyran Main

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