Sunday, May 29, 2011

Poetry Paradise Book Review #5




Today's poetry review involves a quick hop across “the pond”. Beyond the misty moors of England to romantic city of London where we meet Orna Ross.

Irish by birth Orna lives and writes in London.

Married and the mother or two, she derives her pen name from the names of her daughter Ornagh and son Ross.

Already an accomplished and published author of two novels, Ms Ross defines herself

as a writer and poet and some of her poetry can be read here.

http://www.ornaross.com/novels/poems/

While each of her poems are little gems in and of themselves, I chose one to share with you today. I chose it for its ability to touch me (and I hope you the reader) to the core.

Surfacing. A Poem.

Down by the river bank I http://www.ornaross.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_0290.JPGsee
a life-ring on a line,
and think of how we used to swim
in talk, your hands
in mine,
our arms encircled round your wound,
that never-ending need.
Your life was so unfairly hard,
you felt, and I
agreed.
So when low words rose from your depths
and surged forth, spitting froth,
I let them ooze, I held on tight.
‘We’ll surf these swirls’,
I thought.
And so we went till cancer came,
insisting I should see,
commanding me to cast away.
A knife, it cut
me free.
It showed the ring my thought had made
was twisted as old bone,
that our two hands were not conjoined.
I clutched, alone,
my own.
Down by the river bank I weep
for how we went astray:
the harsh, embittered things you felt
the love they flung
away,
and my fierce need to go too deep,
the blood and breath I gave
to trying to buoy up a life
that was not mine
to save.

~~~~~

I found all of Orna's poems highly read worthy. She has a lot of range and a compelling way of expressing that range.
She brings her personal passion to each work she pens.

Here is a quote of hers that I love:

“writing isn't produced by a place but by a human imagination in harness to a blank page.”


It seems to me that Orna Ross is to that blank page what yeast and sugar are to flour. Just as those most basic and elemental ingredients combine to produce any number of wonderful breads, she uses the basics of human thoughts, emotions and life events to serve up food for the soul. Her words nourish, sustain, comfort and inspire.

Her first book of poetry is coming out this fall entitled "Ten Thoughts About Love"
Ms. Ross told me the last poem for the book is proving a bit unwieldy.
Boy don't we all know that feeling!

Thank you Orna Ross for taking time out of your busy schedule to email me and I will give my readers here at Bluebell a heads up when "Ten Thoughts About Love" comes out in a few months.

Web site for Orna Ross: http://www.ornaross.com/

review was done by Indie for Bluebells Poetry Paradise.
http://onegirlonepen.blogspot.com/

3 comments:

Unknown said...

beautiful job.

The poem setting is stunning..

Appreciate such fantastic review.

Indie said...

Thanks.

She was very interactive with me in emails. She has a large following in England but still has a feel for the young poet(whatever age)

I really liked this interview/review/poet

Indie

Jim Swindle said...

The poem is powerful.