Pabellon de Jim Pattison y Depues/Jim Pattison Pavilion and After
by Maria Giovanna Tomsich
Trafford Publishing


"Tear them though it hurts; they do not mean anything;
everything comes and disappears.
Temporal dimensions sound great,
but just deepen your thought
to see that even the present becomes past"

Poetry is the epitome of personal expression, a weaving in words of the poet's thoughts and impressions about virtually anything real or imaginary. The author, in this third collection of her poetry, takes this to heart but still remains focused by choosing to tackle only a handful of diverse topics, ranging from the natural to the supernatural. The result is an intriguing volume of well-composed verse that somehow is as cohesive as it is eclectic.

One of the more unique aspects of Tomsich's work is that it is bilingual. While it is true that nowadays dual language books are not that uncommon, what is rare is a book of Spanish poetry where the author has taken the time to include her own English translations. The aspect which makes them even more of a treat for bilingual readers is that the versions are not always exact translations due to the peculiarities of each language, causing Tomsich to creatively rework the English ones in a way that proves she is equally expressive in both tongues.

All of Tomsich's poetry is appealing, but the title piece along with her homage to jazz seem to sparkle brighter than some of the others. The Abbadon poems also stand out and are reminiscent of some of the more powerful of Tennessee Williams' verses. Readers who prefer lighter, more down-to-earth poetry will enjoy the selections in Tomsich's bestiary, while those with an historical and speculative bent will find the ones inspired by archaeological sites more to their liking. In essence, there is something for almost everyone in this captivating collection.

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