The opening and closing poems refer to the most familiar Biblical stories. Many of the poems focus on history, whether spiritual or political. Smith says that being Poet Laureate is “a kind of service ( Off the Shelf, July 31, 2018).” Poetry allows us to bridge our differences, to remind ourselves “that we do have things to say to each other, that we are interested in each other’s lives and vulnerabilities.” In this new collection, Smith explores, mourns and even celebrates those vulnerabilities, both national and individual. In a recent podcast of her conversation with Curtis Fox of the Poetry Foundation, Tracy K.
Wade in the Water is, wonderfully, a Poet Laureate’s book-a book that speaks for the poet herself and for us all, at a perilous moment in our history.
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