July 2023 MBR The Poetry Shelf

The Poetry Shelf

Hats Off
Peter Waldor
Finishing Line Press
https://www.finishinglinepress.com
9798888380680, $20.99, PB, 72pp

https://www.amazon.com/Hats-Off-Peter-Waldor/dp/B0BP52YNPS

Synopsis: One of the purposes of poetry is to evoke in the mind of the listener or ready images that are memorable, motivating, interesting, thought-provoking, and (perhaps most of all) enjoyable. The deftly crafted verse of Peter Waldor in his slender compendium of poems complies with all these purposes -- and more!

Critique: Especially commended to the attention of the armchair traveler and those who enjoy the calming presence of a stroll through the pleasant wild places of nature, this impressive and memorable collection of poems by the accomplished wordsmith Peter Waldor range from the conversational to the meditative. A book of original poetry that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after it has been finished and set back upon the shelf, "Hats Off" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Contemporary American Poetry collections.

Editorial Note: Peter Waldor (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Waldor) is the author of twelve books of poetry, including Who Touches Everything, which won the National Jewish Book Award. He was the Poet Laureate of San Miguel County, Colorado for 2014-2015. His poetry has appeared widely in magazines, including the American Poetry Review, Ploughshares, The Colorado Review, Fungi Magazine and Mothering Magazine.

Break in the Field
Ellis Elliott
Old Scratch/Devil's Party Press
www.devilspartypress.com
9781957224121, $9.99

https://devilspartypress.com/product/arriving-07-23-break-in-the-field

The poetry featured in Break in the Field contrasts human perceptions and experience, delving into the forces of nature and observational efforts. Each poem is representative slice of these encounters. One example is 'Sweetgrass,' which considers the ghost of one who has "died in the house I moved into": "In the kitchen were her copper/cooking pots, her cracked oyster plates,/her mint green matchbox from Paris,/her baskets on cabinet tops, and her three/lost boys. I search for something sturdy/to contain their grief. And when it can't be found,/I become my own flawed variation."

From laments of absence and the pain of breaking apart to the haunting integration of childhood and adult viewpoints and celebrations of things lost and found, Ellis Elliott's varied poems represent a similar diversity of action and spirit which especially excels in contrasts of past and present, heart and mind, and shifting perspectives.

Libraries and readers who choose this short collection for its evocative free verse inspections of life connections will find its art lies in not just the eye of the beholder, but its ability to connect these disparate lives with the more universal threads of history and chance encounters: "She was a day past presence, riding/the jagged breath below the surface/of consciousness. I was running/to make the next plane to Arkansas,/my frantic airport pace pulled by/a thousand thinning cords to home."

Ellis Elliott's compelling Break in the Field creates associations between humanity, nature, and time that deserve not only individual inspection and appreciation, but spirited discussions about contemporary poetry's ability to attract and react to life's events with bigger-picture reflections about growth, freedom, and life lessons.

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