Bookworm, Issue 8
The Book: Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay
It’s hard not to be intrigued by the title Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. Unabashed. Unapologetic, not shy or embarrassed. To believe so strongly in gratitude that one must write twenty-four poems about it, which is exactly what author Ross Gay has done in this slim volume. Proclaiming to us, “dear readers,” that in these moments of thankfulness we find ourselves most alive.
Slow down, Gay tells us, recline in the grass, plant a tree, walk arm in arm with a friend, make a mistake, but most importantly appreciate these occasions. Gay is an avid gardener and many of his poems reference nature’s beauty and bounty, so our wine pairing comes from a producer who is committed to nurturing the soil, water and wildlife in and around the vineyards.
While sipping on this wine, I suggest listening to Gay recite his poetry. Note the ebb and flow of his voice, his pauses and accentuation; there is much intimacy in listening to another’s heart and mind open up to you.
Listen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBWcnGjfadY, or here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRjEgOoFI68.
In a recent interview, Gay described gratitude as the “practice of remembering and acknowledging that which makes our lives possible.” It’s complicated and endless and everywhere, his poems suggest, encompassing joy, sorrow, love and loss. For example, in “Ode to Buttoning and Unbuttoning My Shirt,” he writes:
two maybe three
times a day
some days
I have the distinct pleasure
of slowly untethering
the one side
from the other
But then, he gently pivots and describes an action of greater gravity:
for I must only use
the tips
of my fingers
with which I will
one day close
my mother’s eyes
this is as delicate
as we can be
in this life
Beautifully, he weaves together the mundane and the extraordinary, prompting us to consider (or reconsider) the fine line between the two.
Gay’s poems remind us that our time on earth is temporary, that beauty and joy are ephemeral. In the poem “Spoon,” he mourns a friend, and in the same breath appreciates sunlight pouring through a window – into a home with comfortable chairs and a vase of flowers – “to make a touch less awful / what forever otherwise will hurt.” He ponders what he loves, and in doing so, inspires readers to do the same.
Gay is a gardener, and fittingly, his poems are nourishing. He writes about pruning his peach tree and caring for his vegetables, which are a source of food, but also fill him with gratitude. In “To the Fig Tree on 9th and Christian,” Gay retells a true story of passersby gathering on a street corner in Philadelphia to feast on ripe figs:
and I am tall and so
good for these things
and a bald man even
told me so
when I grabbed three
or four for
him reaching into the
giddy throngs of
yellow-jackets sugar
stoned which he only
pointed to smiling and
rubbing his stomach
People coming together, “strangers maybe / never again,” in shared appreciation for a tree and it’s fruit is worth contemplating, Gay tells us.
It is impossible not to respond to Gay’s words with gratitude. His poetry elevates the everyday, and through it, we see that these things are not commonplace after all, but are in fact extraordinary. He is thankful for this life – and though not every moment in it sparks joy – it still feels very good to be alive.
The Wine: Bethel Heights Estate Pinot Noir 2021, Eola-Amity Hills AVA, $36.99
This wine is medium ruby and has medium aroma intensity. It is developing with a complex array of aromas that includes fresh red fruits, such as raspberry, cherry, strawberry and cranberry, hints of vanilla and cocoa, as well as earth, wet leaves, mushrooms, gravel, black tea and blossom.
The wine is dry and medium-bodied. It has medium (+) acidity, medium alcohol at 13.2% ABV and medium tannins. It has medium (+) intensity on the palate with prominent fruit flavors that mirror the nose, but also suggests darker fruits like blueberry, blackberry and black cherry. It has a medium (+) finish with just a trace of flowers and black tea.
This wine is drinking beautifully right now, although it could hold for a few years. On the nose it’s earthier, on the palate fruitier. It’s tart, it’s fruity sweet and it’s a touch bitter; but it all comes together harmoniously, and it’s delicious.
Why the pairing works:
Gay writes about the things he loves – including his appreciation for and interaction with the natural world. His life as a poet and his life as a gardener are tightly intertwined.
I suspect the same is true for many wine producers, whose farming philosophies carry over into their winemaking. The owners of Bethel Heights Vineyard see themselves as stewards of their land. They have multiple organic and sustainable certifications and write on their website: “Above all else we seek to grow our grapes and make our wine without diminishing the vibrant life of this place.” For example, they use solar panels in the winery and maintain a green cover between the rows of vines to foster biodiversity, sequester carbon and retain soil moisture. (For more details visit https://www.bethelheights.com/sustainability/.)
Marilyn Webb, one of the vineyard co-owners, is a home gardener like Gay. She writes, “Coming to the Willamette Valley to grow grapes and make wine seemed like the ultimate extension of gardening: growing grapes and then ‘putting them up’ in the most elegant way.”
Gay writes about the community orchard in his hometown in this collection’s title poem:
and friends this is the realest place I know,
it makes me squirm like a worm I am so grateful,
you could ride your bike there
or roller skate or catch the bus
there is a fence and a gate twisted by hand,
there is a fig tree taller than you in Indiana,
it will make you gasp.
It might make you want to stay alive even, thank you;
Both poetry and wine bring people together. And by partaking, we experience a bit of the magic and wonder that’s all around us if we care to look for it.