Under the Influence of Lilacs
Deborah Gordon Cooper
This collection of poems is an interesting combination of
remembering, observing the process of aging, counseling the grieving, and
finding solace in nature. In her opening poem – Prelude to Daybreak – we glimpse
the world that Ms. Cooper lives in – “of
waiting rooms/and penitentiaries.” And
it ends with the solace she seeks in nature “step out the door/breathe deeply
in.” The world of plants is her world,
the gardener, the naturalist – “I am that half-remembered/tender-green/color of
longing.”
It is poetry that releases her emotions and comforts those
around her, “I read poetry/ the way someone/ somewhere else/ reads scripture.” And she moves in a sensory world, “Leave your
cell phone, your watch/ your thoughts/ on the kitchen table. “ “Walk slowly.
Leave the trail.” And if this is
autobiographical as well as philosophical we know “though I am easily/
distracted by/ a kite, caught/ in a tree” she is not without compassion and
commitment to the people around her. Nor
does she lack humor, “And still, I keep catching myself/ addressing myself out loud/ as if I am my constant
friend…” and I cannot give away the punch line.
Her gift to the world is her ability to capture the
frustrations and fears that surround the human experience – “Let us pray that
we might cease/ to plant the seeds of fear/ and hatred in their minds/ that we
might never lay/ another weapon of destruction/ in their arms.”
There were poems I read to Kate because they captured her
love of grandchildren Imagine and
others that captured the love we share as we grow old together The Dancers. Moving forward we also look backward and “the
faces in these photographs/ become the faces of the dead/ my secret saints.” And there are lines that are perfect in
capturing a moment – “The sky is packed with/ sack-of-flour clouds.”
She takes us to the complex places through the common place –
“In a soft fold of time/ between the ironing/ and the income tax,” and reminds
us that in life “We are just passing through/ these bones.”
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