Practical Anxiety

These poems dwell in the hearth of domesticity, but they look beyond the confines of the home with clear eyes. Boldly unafraid, they confront the realities of climate change, the desecration of habitat, some quiet truths about aging and death. The first section consists primarily of the experience of childhood, not all of it particularly pleasant — much of it a reflection of an era that, thankfully, is now behind us with its often oppressive atmosphere. The second section continues to explore some of the experiences of growing up, but this is where the paranoid elements begin to enter the work. Visions of angels appear; repetition of life experiences specific to women emerge. The next section serves as a kind of pivot, with sometimes irreverent looks at religion. Following these poems, the tone shifts to a more Zen approach to spiritual matters, perhaps one that could even be called pantheistic. The final section deals specifically with aging, end of life, and loss. Yet even in the midst of such sometimes-gloomy thoughts, there is light and hope. There is no doubt that these are poems written by a woman. But even though many of them deal with the domestic world long considered the ‘domain’ of females, they reach well beyond the realm of the kitchen and tradition. They are a celebration of the quiet glory ensconced in the ‘practical’ nature of the everyday world, even though that world may often feel overwhelming filled with "anxiety."