By: Ava Gladdin, Poetry Reviewer
For long-time fans of Billy Collins, The Rain in Portugal will bring forth a sense of surprise. He is mostly known for making the most simple things seem profound, and this collection is nothing short of that. His collection makes for a great time.
His collection follows his pattern of accessible, conversational poetry. His verse is deceptively simple. He uses things like pauses between stanzas to really add weight to his poems. This can be seen very obviously in the poem “Only Child” where the pause between the second and third sections of the poem creates a crushing feeling:
“Be there in a jiff” and “On my way!” were two of her favorite expressions,
and mine.
And now that the parents are dead,
I wish I could meet Mary for coffee (15-18)
This intense switch-up really shows Collins’ versatility and passion for creating different pieces in his writing. He also uses humor in his writing. One poem that made me laugh was “Basho in Ireland.” He says:
I am like the Japanese poet
who longed to be in Kyoto
even though he was already in Kyoto
I am not exactly like him
because I am not Japanese
and I have no idea what Kyoto is like. (1-6)
This small section shows Collins’ sense of humor and his ability to relate that to his writing. This is not the only humorous poem in the collection. “In Praise of Ignorance” is another poem that captures Collins’ more playful side. While the collection offers a comical aspect, the hilarity is always done in a gentle way.
Other poems show his ability to write about more serious topics. These are poems like “Sirens” and “Child Lost at the Beach.” These poems touch on less whimsical ideas and instead talk about being lost and the feeling of the world being far away. In “Sirens”, Collins writes about how the sounds of the city blend together to where you don’t recognize the sounds of ambulance sirens. He touches on this by saying:
We get so used to the sound
it’s just another sharp in the city’s tune.
Yet it’s one thing to stop on a sidewalk
with other pedestrians to watch one
flashing and speeding down an avenue
while a child on a corner covers her ears
and a shopkeeper appears in a doorway,
but another thing when one gets stuck
in traffic and seems to be crying for its mother
who has fled to another country. (6-15)
Personally, I found this collection to be very close to perfect. I really enjoyed the balance of humor and seriousness. I liked that all of the poems were similar in structure and style. It felt consistent and emphasized Collins’ strength in writing. I would recommend this collection to anyone who has read Collins before or anyone who enjoys a simplistic but sharp writing style.