The Wedding Spy is in truth a double agent, written by a poet who has
spent half of her life in the United States and half in the United
Kingdom.She understands both countries, but belongs to neither and
therefore has an outsider's perspective wherever she goes.Her poems
reflect this blend of keenly perceived familiarity with an unending
restlessness.
Poems in the first section have American themes, touching on family,
childhood and later, disillusionment with the American dream. These
poems cover changes over a span of fifty years.
The next group is about love and the end of love.The poems are direct,
touching, sometimes caustic, witty and often tender. Chase's American,
bold use of language brings these poems to life.
The poet then invites us to enter the mysterious, formal world of
movement, meditationand martial arts.She includes a group of poems which
reflecther thirty years of devotion to the practice of Tai Chi. From
that world, she writes love poems, makes social comment and examines the
student teacher relationship.
The final section is about people's lives, their ideas, their talentsand
their deaths.These people are artists, dancers, actors, designers as
well as political radicals, children, prisoners, students, hospital
patients and teachers.The final poem examines the career choice between
teaching Tai Chi and writing poetry.The poet asks how effective printed
words are when we compare them with the actual flesh and blood of human
interactions.'Seal the ink with hand heat and feel again/how I touched
you.Glow with that rouge.'
