Category: Poetry Publisher: Elizabeth Wallace
Type: Non-Fiction
Pages: 61
Copyright: Feb 10, 2015
Price: $3.49 (eBook)
Reflections of life, love, friendship, seasons, etc. in rhythm and rhyme.
One doesn’t always have one’s nose to the grindstone of accomplishment and the pursuit of sustainable income, but searches for love, endures disappointment, struggles with the opposing forces of our dichotomous natures, celebrates birth, mourns death, dreams, and reflects. Occasionally I would find that the only way to try to make sense of these emotions was to assimilate them into the flowing form of rhythm and rhyme. Images and words have come when I least expected them, sometimes even in dreams:
And they’ll be right here as part of me,
Stored up in the banks of my mind,
And they’ll be right here if you want to see,
Some little segments of time.
Excerpt
“Thou Shalt Not Kill”
God’s order is, “Thou shalt not kill,”
There is no higher power than He.
Be not destined by human will,
Only God shall decide your destiny.
You fight and kill, “It’s human nature,
Keep the population down.”
Fools! Those wars you make are yours.
This is only your testing ground.
The earth, the trees will be destroyed,
Your body will decay.
Your soul is indestructible,
An eternity unnumbered in days.
Only a page in a chapter
Of God’s infinite book,
Is what you call your life.
Don’t clutter and abuse it,
Infected with worldly strife.
Let the killers have their world,
Destroy it if they must.
Let us build our world on hope and faith,
And secure it in God’s trust.
The Narcissist
You glow, you show the brightest light,
When all the world seems veiled in night.
There’s no one like you with such flair,
There’s no one but you who seems to care.
With such awareness it seems to be,
That none could know, as you know me.
And so I render all that I am,
To have found such a pearl in this barren land.
A voice so soft, so gentle, so kind,
Who would guess that it could bend my mind?
In smokescreens so bizarre and strange,
That reeling, I would come to feel deranged.
This game that you play, the things that you say,
The passion, the illusion, the promises, the confusion,
Where will it go? What will it show?
Do you really know? Do you really care?
That seeing only yourself will get you nowhere?
How many times have you lied?
How many times have you tried,
To get me to believe you would never deceive?
Your credit is up. Past payment is due.
My coffers are empty, from supplying you.
Professional Reviews
What do you get when you put together Robert Frost, Roald Dahl and Ogden Nash?
I was hooked on Elizabeth Wallace when she published her first book, The Invisible Thread. Shortly after reading the Kindle edition, I managed to bag an autographed print edition. Now, Ms. Wallace demonstrates that she is not only a terrific story teller, she is a deep and provoking poet.
As before, the author draws on her storied life of abandonment and self-preservation. Just as with Thread, this comes across in her poetry. While her spiritual journey is filled with internal conflict, her scope blossoms into areas that touch all of us, especially life, love and loneliness.
Elizabeth Wallace defies a quick and pithy characterization. I imagine an amalgamation of several popular poets. She is Robert Frost in meter and rhyme; She is Roald Dahl in clever twists and a manipulation of a reader’s psyche; She is Ogden Nash in commentary and wit.
My favorite cut? That's easy! Axis I and Axis II is written from the perspective of nurse in a psychiatric hospital (the author names a very well-known hospital). She weaves concepts of coping, hopelessness and delusion within a small, but affecting sonnet.
Elizabeth Wallace is not an author for the ages. Some members of my family wonder what I see in a collection of everyday observations and a few obtuse visceral scenes. The book is slim and there is a breezy simplicity on the surface...
But, this was written for a kindred spirit and someone who is not afraid to dig beneath the surface. Echoing off each page is a sense of wit, profound wisdom and an incredibly rich texture of experiences that touch far beneath the surface. I could read Ms. Wallace for many more pages and I can’t wait for her next installment, whether it is a soulful autobiography, documentary, or a new book of poems.
5.0 out of 5 starsElizabeth Wallace opens the diary of her heart, and ...
Elizabeth Wallace opens the diary of her heart, and it's a privilege to be let so far in. Her segments are personal, accessible, and honest, creating strong and relatable images. She draws on her rich tapestry of experience, weaving intimate vignettes. They help me to appreciate the details of my own life. Thank you, Ms. Wallace!
5.0 out of 5 starsForm, Function and Fluidity
Very much enjoy the life experiences assembled in insightful ways while maintaining the form, rhythm and marriage of word and image. "The Narcissist" is great, "your credit it up, past payment is due, my coffers are empty from supplying you." Wow.
Or "The Other Woman," "It was not I who called her a __________. Believe me when I tell you, all of this I deplore."
Too many others to quote, but this definitely gets my vote!
