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twists and turns that
words can often take"
Drawing from her years of teaching metaphysics and mysticism, Carmeline’s current collection of poems represents the insights she has gleaned through experience. Ranging in subject matter from nature and sex to retirement and pithy word definitions, the book is a meditation on meaning more than a thematically linked series of interconnecting studies. It is a book of reflective musings on what it is to be a wife, a mother, a woman, and a child of nature. The poetic forms used range from full page prose pieces to smaller, sonnet-sized poems and haiku-like pieces meant to explore the meaning of words. There are free-verse and rhymed poems here, using a variety of line breaks and rhyme schemes.
Carmeline’s poetry is accessible to all readers; the verses are not loaded with obscure language nor abstract concepts and discussions. These are poems written in plain speech and, at their best, inspire with lines like you’ll find in “Coach I”: “I will stay here / and love you / for as long as it takes / until you can / love yourself.” Another good example of the poet’s style comes in “The Palms of Marcos Island.” The simple ending of the poem just works, and readers will be delighted with metaphors like “I love these trees / with long giraffe-like necks / and hair-like strands of leaves.” Like in most collections, some poems succeed where others, especially those with a commonplace subject, somehow miss the mark. Overall, though, this collection may resonate with readers who prefer concise language discussing everyday topics in a variety of rhythmic and visual formats.