I Have Crossed an Ocean by Grace Nichols Penelope Shuttle while ‘Wires’ takes telegraph wires

while ‘Wires’ takes telegraph wires as the central image for the geographical distance separating her from Pasternak

and cultures of sexual objectification

The poems -- as poems of grace

/ a small deprivation

Even the charity shops have shut

I Have Crossed an Ocean by Grace Nichols Penelope Shuttle while ‘Wires’ takes telegraph wiresGrace Nichols poetry has a gritty lyricism that addresses the transatlantic connections central to the Caribbean British experience. Her work brings a mythic awareness and a sensuous musicality that is at the same time disquieting. Born and educated in Guyana, Grace Nichols moved to Britain in 1977. I Have Crossed an Ocean is a comprehensive selection spanning some 25 years of her writing. Not only rich music, an easy lyricism, but also grit, and