In Didi Jackson’s My Infinity, the “Northern sky stands so straight, / it uses the largest pines for crutches;” “The moon’s marias emerge / like age spots, monochromatic and ashy;” and “The birds drop in and out / like lures in a dark ocean littered // with loitering stars.”
Jackson’s first husband died by suicide, and her stunning metaphors are honed by a profound understanding of grief, and of the symbiotic relationship between life and death. Through close observation of birds, landscapes, sunrises, sunsets, and the night sky, among other natural phenomena, the poet draws attention to the beauty that surrounds us, a reminder that it’s possible to heal after a painful loss.