Customer Reviews:

• "The word that comes to mind when describing this lovely chapbook is "graceful." From the esthetically pleasing cover art to the poetry inside, the experience is one of soothing grace. Ms. Verrette communicates simply, with carefully chosen words.

"Learning to Walk (in heels)" is a poignant retrospective of life's lessons, the good and the bad. Maturity comes at a price:

        I have walked in defeat
        from the threshing floor when
        the laughter and tears of my darkness
        found no hope of release.

"High Country" is a beautifully rendered metaphor – a location and an emotional condition whereby the poet assimilates the locale and vice versa:

        The wind here breathes hot or
        cold but always dry.
        Feel yourself evaporate to a
        small tight shadow.
        Shifting light across the rocky scape
        calls your eye to sharp
        contrast, and you think of the
        pain that flows from loving.

When a marriage dies, and something sacred shatters, how can a human describe that fracture? Ms. Verrette captures the loss in this haunting excerpt from the poem, "Marking the Moment":

        It comes as a slap of betrayal,
        sharp sting of bitter words,
        and occupation by hostile emotions
        carting away our treasures in the night.
        Hearts cling to the hope of life.
        But no one can span the gulf of unseen death
        when bone of bone is shattered.

Devoted lovers communicate through their senses and words. For those who love deeply, the rush of emotions can be overwhelming. Consider this excerpt from "Skin Talk" for example:

        I want to tell you something so true
        it will break, something so real
        it will burn, something so holy
        that sacrifice will cease.

Terri Verrette gives her readers "poems of stone….solid as Stonehenge." Through her skillful use of words, we experience love and loss, humor and whimsy. This is an exceptional collection of poems and highly recommended." - Laurel Johnson, Midwest Book Review