Sofia M. Starnes
Wings Press
April 2011/ ISBN 978-0-916727-70-3
Poetry
Amazon
Reviewed
by Laura Hinds
Sofia M. Starnes has previously published three poetry books -
- all of which were well received and reviewed. She is an editor
as well as a poet, and her works have won several awards. Fully
into Ashes is presented in three sections: 1 - First House: Find,
2 - Leaving Pompeii: Ache and 3 - The Moonlight House: Gift. The
poems are haunting and mystical, and I found that certain phrases
embedded themselves in my brain and popped up frequently, as if
demanding further exploration towards understanding their meanings.
I particularly liked “Lola’s Window,” with phrasing
that brought pictures into my imagination with a bright vividness.
“The call to make-believe, later forbidden, a liturgy of ghosts—Every
night she settled near the window.. Immediately, I was imagining
ghosts outside the window, and I must add that the particular way
in which the poems are structured brings more meaning than I could
convey here without showing you an entire poem, so I am opting just
to share a line or two.
The poems come across as honest, touching, and most definitely
spiritual. The poet sees things with her own special vision and
manages to translate that vision into words that poetry readers
will savor.
Another selection I found enchanting was “Nightlife,”
“The moon dissolves to mist and flower; the window balances
the outside dark against a single lamp.” Again, a window is
mentioned.
I‘ve concluded that the author shares fully a window into
her innermost thoughts and indeed, into her soul. I enjoyed each
poem as if it was its own living, breathing entity, and the collection
as a whole is inspirational. I recommend the book to poetry lovers
with a decidedly spiritual (not necessarily religious) bent, and
to those who wish to revel in the beauty of this talented poet’s
words.
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