Always the Trains
by Judy Neri
Published by New Academia Publishing/SCARITH Books
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Reviewed by Beth Cummings
Judy Neri is an accomplished poet whose work has been included in several anthologies as well as in literary journals and contests. Her poems are a delight to read. While her tone is generally conversational, she finds a way to make a description of the ordinary into a universal truth.
Many of her poems take their subject matter from nature, as in “Dry Leaves.”
Dry leaves
Flutter wildly
in a sudden shaft of light
like a wake in the water –
or “Beachcombing in Sardinia”
Juniper and gentian
line my path to the cove;
the heady scents of
lavender, thyme and rosemary
surround sinuous rocks
sculpted by rival winds –
Another section of the collection uses musical compositions as the basis for her imaginative musings. There are poems based on Franz Schubert’s Trio #2, a Brahms transcription, a Beethoven sonata, a fantasy by Tchaikovsky, and a landscape by modern composer, John Cage. It would be wonderful to read or hear these poems with those musical selections filling the background.
I enjoyed this book very much and would certainly recommend it to poetry readers who appreciate honesty in language and thought.
Armchair Interviews agrees.