Synopsis: Women poets from around the world are gathered here to raise
their voices together, to speak out against violence and its calamitous effect
upon the human soul. Yet there is also a thread of resilience here, an
undercurrent of hope that points to the human ability to move on, to build a
new life out of a shattered past.
Each poem addresses difficult issues concerning conflict and
the lives of women. Some are spirited statements that demonstrate courage even
in brutal circumstances; others rage at the perpetrators of war or simply mourn
their losses. Together, these works reveal a deep consciousness of both the
effects of violence and the human ability to move forward.
The women whose poems appear in this collection stand for
peace. Many of them have seen war and strife on fronts both national and
domestic; and they write graphically and poignantly, and sometimes ironically,
about conflicts external and internal that tear up their lives and the lives of
their families and neighbors. They write about the victims of war and oppression:
bewildered and brutalized children, bereft wives and mothers, raped and
mutilated women, tormented prisoners and soldiers. And they write about victims
of a seemingly failed society and victims of struggling or failed human
relationships.
At the same time, these writers are also crying for peace,
searching for peace, and occasionally finding peace. In their search, they
point the way for the rest of us. (from the online description)
This book is broken into the following chapters:
Running from the Smoke (Children in War)
On the Sidewalks of Love and Fire (Women Surviving War)
War and So Forth (The Bitter Waste)
Now That I Am Helpless (Mothers in Ambiguity)
Who Stopped the Dance (Domestic Battlefields)
It Is The Time of Awakening (Reaching and ReBuilding)
Listen for Life (Nature Speaks)
The Heart has Found Home (Peace to the Spirit)
Most of my favorite poems fell unto the first few chapters. They include the following:
"For My Torturer, Lieutenant D" by Leila Djabali
In the Casbah by Salma Al-Khedra Al-Jayyusi
The Century's Decline by Wislawa Szymborska
I Had a Strange Dream by Irina Ratushinskaya
Every Day by Ingeborg Bachmann
Judgement by Meiling Jin
The End and the Beginning by Wislawa Szymborska
Over all, this is a fine collection of poems. They are truly gathered from poets across the world, with not preference given to any one country or conflict. Not all these poems make sense in how they connect to the theme, but that might be my own perception. I'm not skilled at finding the hidden meaning. Worth reading, particular if you are looking to find new poets to read.
Bookmarks: 4 of 5
Awards: None
ISBN: 0-87745-812-X
Year Published: 2002
Date Finished: 5-16-2018
Pages: 202
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