POETIC REFLECTIONS

In Poetic Reflections, Girardi gives readers heartfelt–if sometimes simplistic–devotional poetry that expresses the joy of and consolation of Christianity.

Most poems in this sprawling, occasionally repetitive collection are inspired by the Girardi’s faith, and she frequently waxes long on God’s enduring love, Christ’s sacrifice and the solace of prayer. Many pieces express the pain of losing a loved one, and some are dedicated to grieving family members. Sadly, this is familiar territory for Girardi, and she writes with genuine feeling about the sting of loss–“No one knows the pain you feel. / Each new sunrise, loss still real.” However, this hurt is always compensated by the author’s faith that loved ones will be restored in heaven–a blessed hope if one believes the Christian message, though hollow if one does not. Late in the book, Girardi’s verse briefly and unexpectedly turns political, with commentary on current events. On the federal government’s rescue loans, the author writes, “Now the auto industry wants a bail out for them too. / ‘Of course, sure, why not, we’ll get money to you.’ ” Readers also learn she’s against illegal immigration and exporting jobs. These are defensible political positions, but it’s a little silly to truck out conservative talking points in rhyming couplets. The author, like many other amateur writers, composes verse under the faulty supposition that it must rhyme. For the most part, this habit is distracting but forgivable, though it sometimes grates on the ear. Take the tortured syntax of the opening lines of “Thank you, Dad”–“Thank you Dad, for: / Acceptance you always had of me. / Belief in all, you thought I could be.” In her next volume, Girardi would do well to focus on free verse.

Faltering but earnest.