Sunday, August 21, 2011

Poetry Paradise REview Week 16

Hello all, glad to have you join me for Mondays Poetry Paradise review!

Here we are in the closing days of August and of the summer season itself. Has it been hot where you are? Would you like a nice read that gives you a bigger chill than a York Peppermint Patttie?

Then folks you are going to love today's poetry selection. It begins with the cool refreshing name of Emerald Ice:





But wait, it gets even better!

Here is a snip from the flagship poem of this book:

Emerald Ice
If I were a jeweler,
I'd look for emeralds the color of
healthy basil leaves, pungent and thick
and green as parrots;
and if I were a woman who had emeralds weighing down
her harpsichordian hands and nudging her neck
as they turn warm but do not melt,
I would hold my emerald-laden hand
against this new snow which covers the not yet frozen
November ground, the liquid hardness of the stones
contrasting with the chalky softness of the snow.
For just a moment at least until
if I were an astronomer, mirroring an arch of light which
might mean a new galaxy
has been discovered, I might name
this phenomenon, "Emerald Ice,"
to tell you how
beautiful these things are to me.
~~~~

My Review:
Beautiful imagery strongly supported by the phrasing the writer uses. Each of the highly varied themed poems in the book are just as strongly lyrical and delightful.

At the age of fifty, Diana Wakoski selected the poems in Emerald Ice from her first sixteen books of poetry. I am going to risk the pun here and say unequivocally that this is a gem pf a book and is quite capable of transporting you away from the dog days of August and into the compelling works of Diana Wakoski in her book "Emerald Ice".

You can read more and order your own copy here:
http://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Ice-Selected-Poems-1962-1987/dp/0876857446#reader_0876857446

You can reach Diane Wakoski on her Facebook page here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diane-Wakoski/108388552516110
Stay cool and thanks for dropping in for this weeks poetry review. Stop by next week for another great review by my friend Cynthia. In the meantime, keep reading and keep writing!
all the best, Indie

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I would hold my emerald-laden hand
against this new snow which covers the not yet frozen
November ground, the liquid hardness of the stones
contrasting with the chalky softness of the snow.

I love those lines, and like they way they make my mouth feel when I read them.

Indie said...

What a great thought about liking the way her chosen words feel in your mouth when you use them.

Awesome. It makes me want to write something rich and rolling of my own.

Indie

Maxwell Mead Williams Robinson Barry said...

love this one, magical review.

:)

Maude Lynn said...

This sounds good!