Blurb:

The world changed in 2020. Gradually at first, then quickly and irreversibly, the patterns by which we once lived altered completely.

Across home and town, allotment and moorland, The Heeding paints a picture of four unique seasons caught in the grip of history yet filled with moments of wonder close at hand. A sparrowhawk hunting in a back street; butterflies massing in a high-summer yard as death rates rise; the moon overhead with a loved one held tight – the everyday memories that shape a life and help us recall our own.

The Heeding leads us on a journey that takes its markers and signs from nature and a world filled with fear but beauty and joy too. Collecting birds and animals, land and people together, it helps us look again, to heed: to be attentive to this world we share, to grieve what’s lost and together seek a better and brighter tomorrow.

Review:

I chose this book for my September reading challenge as poetry is a genre I hardly ever read. The Heeding was recommended to me by a fellow blogger when it was first released, and although it may have been more pertinent then, it still evokes the memories and emotions from that time, and in this respect, it is really hard hitting. 

As I’ve mentioned, poetry isn’t a genre I read regularly and I often struggle to know how to approach it, particularly as something to read and appreciate for leisure rather than for study. The Heeding is full of poems that should be savoured. Rob Cowen’s use of vocabulary is exquisite and evokes some really powerful imagery of the things that started out as new but gradually became commonplace over Covid times. 

Many of the poems focus on nature and the landscape, which allowed me the opportunity to picture the scenes about which Rob Cowen was writing vividly in my mind. I noticed that many of the references to specific places were places in the north that I recognised and this helped me to further connect with the words. 

The poems are accompanied by beautiful illustrations by Nick Hayes, which I also wanted to savour. The style of the illustrations complements the poetry wonderfully and I’m really glad I chose to read a hardback version of the book that shows them in all their glory. 

The Heeding is available from Amazon.