February 2023 MBR The Poetry Shelf

The Poetry Shelf

Reflections Off the Lake, Poems on Life, Love and Democracy
Steven O. Ludd
Distinction Press
www.distinctionpress.com
9781937667306, $42.99, HC, 118pp

https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Lake-Poems-Life-Democracy/dp/1937667308

Synopsis: At a time in American life when citizens are inundated with highly charged sound bites on social media platforms to choose the best product to purchase, to accept the legitimacy of often diametrically opposed political ideologies without critical analyses, or to evaluate their lives compared with "influencers" who create images of the "good life," "Reflections Off the Lake, Poems on Life, Love and Democracy" by Steven O. Ludd is offered as a brief respite for all who seek refuge in personal reflection.

The selection of poems on "Life, Love, and Democracy", challenges the reader to confront the dangers to Democracy in the Twenty-First Century both in America and throughout the world.

Drawing upon the visions of individuals from across the centuries, the poems offer numerous paths by which to join in solidarity with those who choose love over hate. Beautiful in its imagery and verse, it is a reminder that we still retain the ability to overcome the sense of powerlessness which seems to engulf our modern societies through the timeless functioning of Nature.

Most importantly, the poems comprising "Life,Love, and Democracy" re-enforce an understanding that we are on a never-ending journey toward individual and collective freedom.

Critique: Timely, relevant, absorbing, memorable, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Reflections Off the Lake, Poems on Life, Love and Democracy" has the highest recommendation possible for personal, community, and academic library Contemporary American Poetry collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Reflections Off the Lake, Poems on Life, Love and Democracy" is also available in a paperback edition (9781937667290, $27.99).

Editorial Note: Steven O. Ludd (https://www.waterstones.com/author/steven-o-ludd/699918) has deep roots in the soil of Vermont. The descendant of generations of farmers, a state Representative, and cheese makers, his passion for the people and the beauty of the Green Mountains is in full display in Reflections Off the Lake. So too is his commitment to the protection of democracy both in America and across the world.

Waiting for Scotland: Poems and Meditations
S. A. Borders-Shoemaker
Belle Isle Books
http://www.belleislebooks.com
c/o Brandylane Publishers
5 South First Street, Richmond, VA 23219
www.brandylanepublishers.com
9781958754023, $15.95, PB, 162pp

https://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Scotland-Poems-Meditations-Borders-Shoemaker/dp/1958754021

Synopsis: With the publication of "Waiting for Scotland: Poems and Meditations", S. A. Borders-Shoemaker presents a impressive compendium of poems, meditations, and the occasional black/white photos. The theme of her work is about reconciling the past with hopes for the future.

The poems reflect the direct confrontation between youthful expectations and sobering realities. Born from the labors of deep soul work, it is all at once a comprehensive story and a series of meditations on identity. This exceptional collection of free verse acknowledges what has come before and how the past contends with a very real and powerful present. Borders-Shoemaker's word poems declare a hope for a different future, rooted in honesty and compassion.

Critique: Insightful, thoughtful, thought-provoking, fascinating, memorable, "Waiting for Scotland: Poems and Meditations" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Contemporary Poets & Poetry collections.

Editorial Note: S.A. Borders-Shoemaker (www.sabordersshoemaker.com) is an author, poet, and PhD in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. Some influences on her writing include her work in conflict resolution and suicide prevention, as well as her extensive travels abroad. She has over fifteen publications in both national and international outlets, including Frankenstein & the Phoenix, Rooted in Time, The Conscious Objection, and numerous op-eds and anthology contributions.

Telling You Everything
Cindy Hochman
Unleash Press
https://www.unleashcreatives.net/shop
9798986274331, $8.99

https://www.amazon.com/Telling-You-Everything-Cindy-Hochman/dp/B0BM56GT6B

Poetry chapbooks abound, and so it can be difficult to locate those gems that stand out from the crowd, but Cindy Hochman's Telling You Everything is one creation that deserves attention and discussion. It gathers works that avid poetry readers might have seen before from such publications as Brownstone Poets Anthology and Clockwise Cat, presenting both these and previously unpublished works under one cover to explore Hochman's literary mark on free verse.

In lieu of the typical introduction, there is a powerful creation featuring the title piece: "I am all moan and bone and dangling participles. I am all pipes and drums but no voice box. My body is hamstrung and jagged. I am a bellyful of barren. These days I have become nothing but chocolate bars and razor blades." This segues neatly into poems that reflect the fine art of crafting word pictures.

Steeped in autobiographical reflection and life inspection, Hochman's words resonate and delight: "I have hovered between illness and ego, pus and shiver. I've been low girl on the totem pole. I've been something seismic, and cosmic." Unlike most free verse, these poems often comprise a paragraph of observation and description. The fine line between prose and poem is challenged by Hochman's literary forms, which sometimes adopt the challenge of social and political discourse and other times shoot staccato word images that string together in a more associative inspection than what is traditionally viewed as poetry.

She acknowledges these efforts and departures in the piece "An Arbitrary List of Words That Come Up In Just About Every Poem," which gathers the repetitive words to be found in this collection, forming a commentary and uncommon poetic inspection comprised of the pieces of other story poems: "Winter, spring, summer, fall. Home. Kitchen. Closet. Backyard. Cats, cats, meow. Cat's meow. Howl. Pandemic. Death. Rebirth/renewal."

Whether self-inspecting, reflecting life's progression, or examining the intersection between human nature and the natural world, Hochman provides an intriguing collection of word portraits that pull with familiar scenes wound into unfamiliar territory: "...I dreamed I was/Ralph Kramden,/driving a/New York City bus/into the sky."

The result is a thought-provoking, metaphorically rich collection of poems that is highly recommended for contemporary libraries looking for works that both reflect and defy the usual sense of what comprises a poem. Ideally, Telling You Everything will be chosen for illustration in creative writing classes interested in examining the structure and qualities of free verse, poetry, and literary devices.

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