Philip Mathis

Drumbeats Philip Mathis

DRUMBEATS encompasses a diverse collection of poems inspired in large measure by Native American beliefs and traditions. Poems in the collection are framed in language that evokes vivid images and deep emotions - language with natural rhythm, internal rhyme, alliterative phrase, and unmistakable resonance. Perhaps the most pervasive theme emerges from repeated references to burial mounds: archaeological monuments that relate to spirituality, reverence for the past, and the human need to engage in reflection and self-examination. Native American burial grounds are earthen temples. To stand quietly and alone before an ancient mound is to resurrect the past, glimpse the limits of human understanding, and conjure the far-off sound of drumbeats.