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Summer 2005 - July
Title: The Shadow I Dress In
Author: Rhina Espaillat
ISBN: 1-9323-3900-0
Publisher: David Robert Books
Year: 2004
Book Size:
Book Binding: perfect binding
Book Format: Paperback, white pages.
Pages: 126
Price: $
Shipping Cost:
Bookstore: David Robert Books
Summer 2005
July
Table of Contents
Editor's Message
Medalists Muses Prize
Poems
Poem Reviews
Book Reviews
Interviews
Book Ads
The poetrybook's theme is diverse. The theme varies from her observations of nature to her traveling experiences to everyday events such as shopping to historical figures and to Greek myths to poems about poems and many more.
She writes in rhyme and non-rhymed fashion. She has well-metered poems and free verse poems.
The poetrybook starts with the poem "Dreaming Water" which brings us to Venice, its waters and gondola on p.1. . The poetrybook ends with a spider poem - "On Remembering That Spider Silk Is a Folk Remedy For Injury" on p. 125.
Her nature poems is what I like best. Nature poems like - "Hummingbird" p.74, "Theme and Variations" p.104, "Petunias in November" p.116, "Gardening" p.51, "The Marsh in Early Spring" p.87, "Sea Lion" p.23, "Poet In Summer Garden" p.76, "On Remembering That Spider Silk Is A Folk Remedy For Injury" p.125, "What the Leaves Say" p. 88 - are just refreshing to the soul.
Her travel poems brings us to Venice (Dreaming Water p.1 ) and Massachussetts (Circling Boston p.29) and to the moon (To Diana, p. 67).
Poems about poems include "What The Poem Wants" p. 102, "Baked Goods" p.98, All Of It" p. 92, "Warning" p. 100. These four poems are about poems treated as human characters.
Examples:
"What The Poem Wants" p. 102 - The poem looks for no fine feet, glass slippers,/no smoothly fated, groove-enfolded glide/of princess into glass, prince into princess./
"Warning" p. 100 - Don't ask my poem/ to feed you:/ it lives on hunger./
"Baked Goods" p. 98 - When my poem went with me/ to the supermakert,/
The poem "Idle Talk" involves three historical characters (Van Gogh, Caesar, Mozart) from diverse periods of time and talks to each other.
"My Cluttered House Accuses Me of Greed" is a humorous poem.
Rhina's dream poems included "I Dreamt You Young" and "Tooth Poem" p.21. The first dream poem is about her father while the second dream poem is about her mother.
Six of her poems in this volume were nominated "Best Poem of Year 2004" for the 1st Muses Prize, namely: "Hummingbird", "Theme and Variations", "Petunias in November", "Gardening" "Dreaming Water" and "The Marsh In Early Spring'.
"Hummingbird" is a poem about the patience of waiting for hummingbirds by a bird enthusiast. "Petunias in November" is about the art of raising petunias. "The Marsh in Early Spring" is about the describing marsh when winter ends and spring comes. "Theme and Variations" is a poem about the mysterious being of light and music that walks in the leaves in summer time.. "Dreaming Water" is a short poem about Venice. "Gardening" is a poem about the joys of gardening with dirt in one's hands.
If you enjoy reading nature poems, I would recommend Rhina's poetrybook The Shadow I Dress In.
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