Wonder Rooms by Allison Funk
As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast:
This collection of poems came out in 2015.
Oh, dear readers, Allison's Wonder Rooms is a Poetic Cabinet of Curiosities.
In the 16th century, Curiosity Cabinets (often used to house unusual botanical and natural specimens) were also called Wonder Rooms.
Imagine a world where poems are not just words on a page but intricate, living chambers, each holding a secret, a story, a universe unto itself.
Like a master curator, Funk assembles a collection of poetic artifacts, each a treasure trove of emotion and imagery. From the delicate intricacies of a butterfly's metamorphosis to the raw anguish of a mother's despair, she explores the spectrum of human existence with a poet's precision and a storyteller's passion.
These poems are not mere reflections of reality; they are living, breathing entities, each a world unto itself. They invite you to step inside, to explore their hidden corners, to discover the secrets they hold. And when you emerge, you will be changed, forever marked by the beauty, the pain, and the wonder of this extraordinary collection.
Researching Maria Sybilla Merian led me to Wonder Rooms, which includes a series of eight poems titled "Maria Sibylla Merian's Metamorphoses." Each poem captures moments in Merian's life between 1647 and 1717, and the poems are nested like Russian dolls. (The first poem Is nested in the second poem, the second poem is nested within the third, and so on.)
Wonder Rooms is not just a book; it's an invitation to a journey, a chance to explore the depths of your own soul and the mysteries of the world around you. So step inside, and let the magic begin.
SI HORTUM IN HORTORIA PODCASTA IN BIBLIOTEHCA HABES, NIHIL DEERIT.
