Poetry

It's This

Laura Foley (Fernwood Press)

| Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo

Laura Foley's poetry collection It's This is a luminous exploration of the intricate tapestry of life, love, loss, and the profound transformation within relationships and ourselves. Through spare yet melodic language, Foley delves into the depths of human experience, finding solace and joy amidst the complexities of existence. At the heart of this collection is a contemplation of presence and acceptance as the speaker captures the ebb and flow of life's seasons and landscapes. Foley's keen eye examines fleeting moments with grace, whether it's...

To Water Her Garden: A journey of self-discovery

Samira Mahmoodi (Self)

| Reviewed by Cristina Prescott

To Water Her Garden: A Journey of Self-Discovery by Samira Mahmoodi is a poignant collection of poems about healing, self-love, forgiveness, and self-discovery. With each poem, Mahmoodi's words resonate with raw emotion, inviting readers to embark on a profound journey of introspection and growth. The poems in this collection are not mere words on a page; they are windows into the author's soul. Mahmoodi's ability to convey the tenderest and rawest of human emotions is remarkable. Readers get glimpses of her vulnerability, feel her pain as she...

Love is a Jigsaw Puzzle

Penelope Barber (Penelope Barber)

| Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo

Love is a Jigsaw Puzzle by Penelope Chaisson is a dazzling and deeply moving collection of poems that skillfully unravels the intricate tapestry of love. Featuring four parts, each a thematic exploration of the myriad emotions and experiences that resonate profoundly with women. Chaisson's remarkable talent for capturing the nuances of human emotion is on full display throughout this collection, making it an emotionally charged and introspective journey through the labyrinth of love. Love is a Jigsaw Puzzle is intimate yet inspir...

Sip & Savor - poems for a perfect pairing

Edmond Bruneau (Boston Books)

| Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo

Sip & Savor - Poems for a Perfect Pairing by Edmond Bruneau is a gorgeous collection of poems that read like drippings of the honeycomb. A wine-tasting metaphor aptly describes the reader’s experience through each poem. Readers are invited to navigate through the experiences of his day and life — at times intangible yet significant moments like sitting before the computer and feeling a quirky relationship with the cursor that blinks and seeks nourishment. From making petit choices to reflecting on the existential quest for meaning and truth...

The Usefulness of Hippopotamus: A Humorous Chapbook for Trying Times

Vincent J. Tomeo (Atmosphere Press)

| Reviewed by Kim Calderon

When the author was in college, he ran around Washington Square, like a cherub. When he came back, he noticed that all his clothing was stolen, so he had to take the New York City Subway home, with no clothes on, wrapped in the New York Times. ''No one said a word. At the time, it was unbearable. Decades later, I can now laugh.''This episode narrated in the introduction greets the reader and prepares them for a hilarious romp with an author who understands the place of humor in the economy of human suffering. This book is a collection of poems...

Some Good Writ: Christmas, Cancer, Dad, Wine, Sex and Jeff

Jeffrey Bailey (Jeffrey Bailey)

| Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo

Some Good Writ: Christmas, Cancer, Wine, Sex and Jeff by Jeffrey Bailey is an intimate, observant collection of poems that examine life within the poet's family, his own personal experiences, and the thoughts and emotions that propel him from one moment to the next. The sub-title offers a glimpse of what readers should expect in this superbly rendered collection of poems — sickness in the family and how it affects everyone, intimacy, passions, and observations on a variety of topics. Bailey writes about love, humanity, politics, and nature, and...

Corpse Beneath the Crocus

N.N. Nelson (Atmosphere Press)

| Reviewed by Jane Riley

Corpse Beneath the Crocus by N.N. Nelson is a collection of poems that explore themes of loss, grief, and hope. Infused with symbolism, the author captures images from nature to echo the pain of loss and the silent rhythms of a suffering heart. The metaphors are strong and the song of the bird seems to reflect the inner world of the personae: ''Poor little bird / To feel such mighty things.'' These poems are energetic and they highlight the pain that enters a soul that experiences loss. The author allows images of nature to speak strongly...

The Art of Falling

Julia Wendell (FutureCycle Press)

| Reviewed by Cristina Prescott

The Art of Falling by Julia Wendell features a fine-wrought collection of poems that explore both intimate and universal themes — from human vulnerability to embracing change, from falling to developing a creative and austere spirit, from the relationship between father and daughter to the connection with animals. Wendell translates the fears of the human heart, the inimitable sense of longing, and human experience into words that take a life of their own.These poems are rhythmic and the timely linebreaks, as well as the diction, deli...

Grief and Her Three Sisters

Jerry Lovelady (Atmosphere Press)

| Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo

Grief and Her Three Sisters by Jerry Lovelady is a gorgeous collection of poems that capture life, love, and loss. The first thing that catches the attention of readers when they start reading Lovelady's poetry is his incredible ability to write with clarity while allowing the fusion of nature with human emotion. And then there are those moments that compel readers to reflect on insights about life and the author’s wisdom. You'll find one as you open the first poem, “The Great River Taketh.” It reads: ''In death there is always life. / In a see...

Violet

Sabrina Simon (Gatekeeper Press)

| Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo

There are fifty poems in Violet by Sabrina Simon, and that may sound like a slim collection of poetry. But hold on, you are about to step into a world where emotions become life in the words that speak them, where imagery translates the imperceptible nudges on the edges of fragile hearts, and where sound and rhythm measure the pulse of a heart that speaks a language that is universal. The collection is intimate, riveting, and tender, and it is just impossible for the reader to not be moved. Sabrina Simon's poetry is simple, deceptively so, ye...

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