| This poetry collection has evolved from the poet's experiences, both personal and academic. The style of these poems is free verse, with generally straightforward diction and syntax. The dissertation is organized into six sections reflecting the topics of the poems, as follows:;I. Modern woman. Without ever consciously intending to take any certain topic, gender, angle or soapbox as the center of my poetry, nonetheless many of these poems reflect the issues and concerns of being a woman in the second half of the twentieth century. The selections deal with this theme in ways ranging from the humorously ironic "1994: Snow White Meets Barbie" to the more serious women's health issue in "One Woman in Seven.";II. Roots. This section focuses on members of the poet's family and on growing up as an "Army brat" in the 1950s.;III. Guises. In these poems the perspective ranges from fictional characters whose story the poet has retold in her own terms ("Cassandra Speaks of Sexual Harassment") to other personalities, male and female, invented and real.;IV. Lessons. As a career teacher, the poet records memorable students ("Sarah Starving") and lessons both imparted and learned ("Do I Need to Know That?").;V. Journeys. In Part V, the poet undertakes several journeys, ranging from flirtations in Italy ("Heat in Pompeii") to explorations at the bottom of the sea ("Barracuda"). In each case, for both speaker and reader, the journey is more than one in physical space.;VI. Couplings. These poems deal with the weaving and unraveling of relationships, the problem of how to connect one's individual and idiosyncratic consciousness with another's, for however brief a time. The section includes "Chunnel" and "Devolution of Domesticity."... |
