Sound and subject serve to unite most of these spiritually resonant poems.
Raben (Terracotta Smoke, 2011) ponders motherhood and beginnings in a collection rich with Christian imagery and alliteration.
Though unpunctuated, most of the free verse poems of Raben’s second collection are written in complete sentences, as demarcated by capitalization. One notable exception is “Transcending”—all one run-on sentence built around three “When I” statements, with no concluding verb. Instead, the stanzas are alternative definitions of the title. The following poem, “When I Sleep,” echoes the conditional phrasing and dreamy tone. Spiritual language infuses many of the entries, especially in the first two sections. The Virgin Mary has a recurring symbolic presence; e.g., “I was completely pure / and the shower was just a symbol / for my Madonna-like purity.” “Mother Mountain” blends creation imagery with an allusion to the Sacred Heart to suggest a feminine deity: “Her heart beats out a message for me / She has created me / out of her molten blood.” Confirmation of this mother/creator’s identity comes in “Peace to All Mothers,” which insists, oxymoronically, “She has not given birth.” Throughout, Mary functions as an emblem of both innocence and sacred maternity. Meanwhile, “He Was Waiting” imagines Jesus’ thoughts on the cross. Raben also compares saints past and present in the lines “Mother Teresa / Mary Magdalene / In between a sinner and celestial angel.” The poems in the “Something Out of Nothing” section (perhaps referencing the doctrine of creation ex nihilo) dwell on mornings—specifically, breakfast. This works well in “Creation,” where a hard-boiled egg stands in for a newly revealed world; the narrator tells us, “A little pressure and the shell slips / A perfect white oval.” However, other breakfast-themed poems, especially the comic but literal “A Lonely Pancake,” seem trivial. The collection’s middle sections, their poems composed of vague vignettes, feel less essential. Yet they are more memorable sonically, with striking, short phrases and successful alliteration like “Women / with window shades / and wings” and “Crawling out of a coffin…Cheering clusters of crowds.”
Sound and subject serve to unite most of these spiritually resonant poems.Pub Date: July 22, 2014
ISBN: 978-1499051094
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Xlibris
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A short, confessional collection of imagery-driven poems.
In this collection of narrative poems, Beck-Clark produces a visual array of life moments, turning points and wisdom.
Beck-Clark finds power inside the five senses, building vividly colorful landscapes and crisp sounds to draw readers in. Beginning the collection with a graphic narrative of a bicycle accident, Beck-Clark introduces the theme of death and the temporary nature of all life, a thread that runs throughout the book. Whether speaking about health, friends’ unwise marriages, dreams or childhood memories, the author addresses aging and the grace of wisdom that can act on anyone who grows older with an open mind and open eyes. In “I remember Maxwell’s Plum” and elsewhere, Beck-Clark’s use of imagery delivers poignant verses with sharp alliteration and soundplay to awaken readers’ senses: “Then, the sprawling streetlight and / Traffic light colors zigging and zagging….We sipped the liquid candy, laughing, / Humming, slipping quarters into the juke box.” Beck-Clark punctuates her poems with striking pen drawings that feel partially mosaic and geometric while also celebrating flows, cycles and shapes. The color drawings are similar in theme and motif but markedly different, serving as breaks between the often poignant poems. The author concludes the collection with a poem about her son and the lifelong struggle between nature and nurture, between protection and empowerment. This last poem, “Special Needs Mom,” succinctly ties together the collection, ending on a universal and positive theme of love. Overall, with its conversational tone, stimulating images and sounds, the collection succeeds in depicting universal themes within particular, personal moments.
A short, confessional collection of imagery-driven poems.Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2013
ISBN: 978-1484961841
Page Count: 66
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 3, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A collection of poems marked by strong political opinions and the skillful use of language.
Lenzi, in his debut book of poetry, explores his own life and the world around him.
This collection of more than 100 poems covers a lot of ground, including the poet’s own life and politics, current events, and meditations on the real and imagined lives of famous figures. The poems alternate between long, proselike pieces and groups of short, focused haiku. All are marked by their attention to the sound and rhythm of language, particularly in Lenzi’s pieces about music, such as “Bluenotes,” about a jazz performance in a bar: “Keys bounce the blue barlight / Off lean nimble fingers.” In his longer poems, Lenzi builds sentences quickly, often ending one without punctuation and beginning a new one in the next line: “I asked but rare favor / I desired no fame / but I upheld the honor / of my father’s good name.” He also includes poems on family history (“[T]hese bare-chested coal-blackened hardies / included my proud Polish granddad-in-law”), with a particularly lovely one about his long marriage: “Along country lanes / pass vignettes of our life, / more chock-a-block memoirs / than we can scoop up / with our happy / but bewildered senses.” He also writes about famous people, such as Margaret Thatcher and Frank Lloyd Wright, and even fictional characters, such as Sherlock Holmes. He includes poems on real events such as the Boston Marathon bombings, the 9/11 attacks and George Zimmerman’s trial for shooting Trayvon Martin, and all lament the losses of life. Politics also feature prominently (“[A]llowing our choice for election of scoundrels / who would foist rule-of-men and displace rule-of-law”; “Our bibles, guns, and SUVs, / And wealth such / as our hands create, / All emblematic liberties / That tyranny might confiscate”). Here, titles such as “Obamaland” and “Libertarian Lament” drive home the poet’s personal politics.
A collection of poems marked by strong political opinions and the skillful use of language.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2013
ISBN: 978-1492330523
Page Count: 182
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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