Patricia M Osborne’s Nature’s Bookends is a collection that rises far beyond its exquisite poems. Written during a year when the poet faced deeply personal encounters with cancer, the collection resonates with an urgency and poignancy that gives it profound emotional weight. With all proceeds from limited edition sales going to Cancer Research UK, this is a collection that blends artistic beauty with a mission for change.
Nature’s Bookends, as its title suggests, uses the framing of sunrise and sunset to explore the cyclical nature of existence. The poet’s reverence for the natural world permeates every page, but beneath this lies an unspoken commentary on resilience, fragility, and the importance of savouring life’s fleeting moments.
For instance, the opening poem Sunrise captures the awe of beginnings with its vivid imagery: ‘A ball of fire rises, / strikes docile waves, / amber rollers form.’ The poem’s celebratory tone invites readers to embrace the renewal each day offers. Conversely, Sunset closes the collection with introspection: ‘A bloodshot sphere / sinks into the sea, / turns the sky beetroot.’ Osborne’s poetic language illustrates nature’s beauty while symbolising the inevitable endings we must all face.
The poems serve as a quiet rebellion against despair. In Journey Through a Mystical Forest, the speaker finds solace among trees: ‘The silver birch rustles her leaves. / I finger the papery bark, / peel back a small patch / with the promise of fertility.’ This merging of physical touch and metaphor reminds readers of nature’s ability to nurture even amidst life’s trials.
Osborne’s ability to distil large, emotive ideas into precise imagery shines throughout the collection. In Nature’s Necklace, the poet draws upon vivid tactile and visual language to evoke a deeply personal memory:
‘Sun radiates / on Mum’s rosa galica, / teardrops twinkle, / choker beads blink.’
The rose, both delicate and enduring, becomes a stand-in for love and loss. The glittering ‘bloodlike blooms’ nod to the sharp pang of memory and grief, while the act of cutting a rosebud bridges the past and present, creating a quiet ritual of connection.
Mindfulness Meditation presents a different kind of solace. Here, Osborne brings readers into the immediacy of a therapeutic moment: ‘Clenching my fists, / I slump down on a bench by the lake.’ The poem captures the restlessness of a racing mind before leading readers through a meditative release. The focus on breathwork—’count each inhale, / count each exhale’—transforms the poem into an instructive and intimate journey, a testament to the resilience needed in life’s darker moments.
In Ruach, nature becomes a partner in the healing process. The poem’s structure mimics the rise and fall of waves, creating a rhythm that mirrors emotional release:
‘move with the motion / as the boulders gush / heave murmur.’
This emphasis on movement—physical and emotional—aligns the poem’s rhythm with a sense of catharsis. Osborne’s use of the Hebrew word ‘ruach’, meaning spirit, imbues the poem with a sense of universality and spirituality, while its tactile imagery keeps it grounded in the physical world.
Meanwhile, A Moment in Time offers a striking example of how Osborne marries human tradition with natural cycles. In its portrayal of Stonehenge at sunrise, Osborne conveys a sense of divine connection:
‘tangerine rays beam / into the heart of Stonehenge / For a moment in time / Heaven reaches Earth.’
This brief yet powerful invocation speaks to humanity’s long-standing relationship with nature as a site of worship, healing, and wonder.
Nature’s Bookends excels in its accessibility without losing artistic depth. Each poem is tightly constructed, weaving moments of sensory detail with emotional clarity. Osborne’s refusal to overcomplicate her language makes the collection relatable and engaging, while her imagery—often tactile and vividly coloured—creates lasting impressions.
What distinguishes this collection is its universality. Whether it’s the quiet strength of Conversation with an Ancient Oak or the dynamic joy of Festival of Light, Osborne captures moments that feel at once deeply personal and entirely shared. Her poems speak not only to the beauty of nature but also to its power to sustain us through grief, healing, and renewal.
Nature’s Bookends is more than a poetic exploration of life and the natural world; it is a call to action. Patricia M Osborne’s personal connection to the cause makes this collection especially meaningful. Every purchase of a limited edition copy contributes to Cancer Research UK, transforming a simple act of reading into one of solidarity and support.
Nature’s Bookends is a triumph of contemporary poetry, offering readers moments of solace and introspection in a world that often feels overwhelming. It invites wide readers of contemporary poetry to pause, reflect, and rediscover their connection with the natural world. Through this collection, Osborne not only reaffirms the importance of art but also reminds us of our collective capacity to effect change.
This is a collection to read—to cherish, share, and use as a tool for hope and healing. By purchasing a copy, readers can stand alongside Osborne in her mission to support Cancer Research UK and celebrate the resilience of both nature and the human spirit.
Let’s drop the Hallmark card fantasies. Nature isn’t serene. It’s not here to cradle you while you write love letters to daffodils.
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The Broken Spine is a poetry and arts collective proudly published on the coastal edge of North-West England. Founded in 2019 by Alan Parry and Paul Robert Mullen – two school friends reunited after twenty years through a mutual love of poetry.
