Book Review: Jewel Kilcher's A Night Without Armor

I first read this book when it was released in paperback in the late 90s. I was a teenager then and the poems resonated with me in an unforgettable way. I made numerous notes and marks in my copy and it became an influence to my own work in the years following. When I moved in 1999, the book disappeared as things are wont to do in that particular kind of shuffle. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I bought another copy- this time a first edition hardback complete with typos. Needless to say, revisiting it after so long a time was an interesting experience.

I found the simplicity of the style somewhat trite at times. Being some years older than when I originally read it, I was struck by the sentimentality that soaks most of the pieces. These poems reek of naivety, maybe even amateurishness. There is no unifying theme of any kind; the collection reads more like a collected in its scatteredness. It addresses adolescent insecurity, love, marriage, divorce, childhood, Alaska, the loneliness of being on tour, family, and more. This variousness can be distracting.

But, it was also clear why I fell in love with it in the past. Despite its shortcomings, the collection is filled with brilliant phrases. Such as: "world of coal and roses" ("Steady Yourself"), "like the slow migration of birds" ("I Miss Your Touch"), and something I am still trying to learn: "In nature I knew all things had/ their place. None supreme,/ none insignificant" ("God Exists Quietly"). These are like mini folk songs sans music. Yet, with a music of their own.

The best poetry embodies the flow and bitter-sweet beauty of classical music within language- and then some, if possible. "A Night Without Armor" doesn't do that. It is not strong enough to mature with the reader or to grow beyond its first meanings. But it is strong enough in a folksy/ whimsical way to bring a reader back and entertain.