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InsideOut: Poems by L.L. Barkat

By Glynn Young 4 Comments

Layout 1I posted this review at Amazon today.

Beautiful, Luminous Poems

L.L. Barkat, author of Stone Crossings: Finding Grace in Hidden Places, got it into her head to sit outside each day for a year, even if only for a short time. And she got this idea – in the dead of winter. Her timing may have been off – snow and sub-zero temperatures aren’t the most conducive conditions for a long-term plan – but she did it, and the result is InsideOut: Poems.

Divided by seasons, the poems explore the range of human experience – from tragedy (the death of a spouse; a mother and son’s last moments aboard an ill-fated airliner) to family and love. They also cover the senses – sight, taste, touch, hearing – in luxuriant, almost sensuous words and concepts.

From “In Your Dream”:

i.

I was the wind
that knocked at the glass, that tipped
the candle that burned the kitchen;
all that remained was a golden fork.

ii.

I was the sound
of shattering, of gold
chattering amidst the wild
wild flames.

Or try this untitled poem:

I have heard
they harvest wild rice
by hand,
bending stems
that rise from waters,
knocking them
for chocolate
seed.

(And now say both poems out loud.)

I read InsideOut twice, and the second time was almost overwhelming. These are beautiful, luminous poems, and I’m glad Barkat braved those snows. She’s given us a gift here, a great gift.

Photo by Sonia Joie, used with permission. Post by Glynn Young.

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Glynn Young
Glynn Young
Editor and Twitter-Party-Cool-Poem-Weaver at Tweetspeak Poetry
Glynn Young lives in St. Louis where he retired as the team leader for Online Strategy & Communications for a Fortune 500 company. Glynn writes poetry, short stories and fiction, and he loves to bike. He is the author of the Civil War romance Brookhaven, as well as Poetry at Work and the Dancing Priest Series. Find Glynn at Faith, Fiction, Friends.
Glynn Young
Latest posts by Glynn Young (see all)
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  • Poets and Poems: Alison Blevins and “Where Will We Live if the House Burns Down?” - July 1, 2025

Filed Under: Blog, book reviews, Dream Poems, Farm Poems, L.L. Barkat, poetry

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Comments

  1. Maureen Doallas says

    December 12, 2009 at 5:53 pm

    haunting and beautiful lines
    named, and not
    about life and love and loss
    and what is gained
    (without saying)
    once a heart
    lets all the other senses
    get a word in, too

    Reply
  2. nAncY says

    December 12, 2009 at 6:44 pm

    i am the one
    waiting
    for the sound
    of gravel under tires
    the blowing of a horrn
    signaling
    a package
    an arrival of words

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Big Poetry Giveaway, 2014 | To Create... says:
    April 1, 2014 at 1:56 am

    […] InsideOut: Poems by L.L. Barkat, managing editor at Tweetspeak Poetry, is my first giveaway.  It is a graceful journey through a year. Her words are beautiful, simple, and elegantly crafted. These are poems to savor with a lovely cup of tea by your side. […]

    Reply
  2. And the winners are…… | To Create... says:
    May 1, 2014 at 9:03 pm

    […] Hurrah for clbeyer! Inside Out Poems by L.L. Barkat […]

    Reply

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