Title: Poetry in Motion: Expanded Edition
Author: Carolyn Vermes
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1669834625
Genre: Poetry
Pages: 170
Reviewed by: Lily Amanda
Pacific Book Review
Poetry in Motion: Expanded Edition is a soul-expanding set of poems penned by Carolyn Vermes. Here, Vermes’ collection of intimate poetry offers an introspective selection of metrical lines of vignettes across interlacing themes that range from romance, spirituality, relationships, philosophical reflections, leadership, joy loss, and many more. The intuitive poems scour riverine and urban topography employing complex yet layered imagery and vivid descriptions that fill each page with an affluence of evocative language.
Buoyed with the intricacies of the inner architecture of poems, this poet accomplishes much. From meter to rhyme, form to diction, to sound and sense, she sure hits the trifecta. By forming riveting juxtapositions of word lines, stanza formation, and illustration style, Vermes elevates each of the one hundred and eighty-eight visualizations of symphonic poems here into something much more captivating than simple translation. For example, words such as “As a breeze might waft me upward were I light enough to fly, So your smile could send me sunward From the gloom in which I lie. Just your presence is a comfort. Faking sunshine (still a balm), Soothing tensions of estrangement, Like the words of David’s Psalm” undoubtedly provokes a visceral flair of emotion among readers.
The text is divided into nine sections with one brief section having pithy observations containing general truths. Some entries are short such as False Impression and Limerick while others are long compositions such as Cleaning Up The Clutter and The Raffle Lady. Still, iambic pentameters and trochees rule as each creates a magical alchemy creating a truly unique reading experience. At turns uplifting, informative, and elsewhere witty, Vermes’ virtuosic ballets involve leaps of musings from line to line creating a very engaging read. It’s limpid that Carolyn Vermes sees from the heart, and her collection, Poetry in Motion is both heartwarming and reflective.
