Jeanine Stevens

Limberlost Jeanine Stevens

The wide range of subjects in Limberlost move from identity formation, love, solitude, reflection, maturity and acceptance, how an individual grows by interaction with people, places, even strangers. Poems meander, note touchstones along the way: a wartime reading, trilobite, pilgrims, tar pits, earthly strata. The sense of place is evident: Mid-west, West Coast, the Sierras, London, and Paris. Early experiences, such as "All Degrees of White," give the poet a first exposure to "white space." "Stratigraphy," "Leger," "Ship Burial," "Limberlost" and "Sifting" delve into prehistory and the exploration of origins. The idea of home, the disruption of relocation, when and how can we return are explored in "Leaving Ella," "back streets and blue notes." Partial resolve is given in "Bungalow" and "The Magpie." Memory recreated adds new perceptions, shapes and colors. Limberlost is a book resembling a rite of passage, an assemblage revealing the texture that age and wisdom bring.