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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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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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