Book Reviews
EXPLORATIONS OF A VERSEMASTER | Kirkus Reviews
When Duckhorn (Flapping Soul, Words in Verse, 2013, etc.) looks up at the night sky, she sees angels and aliens; she tries to pull both down from the heavens in this poetry collection.
In the last moments of Arthur C. Clarke’s sci-fi masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey, the astronaut David Bowman, floating far from Earth, gets one last message off to Mission Control: “Oh my God—it’s full of stars,” he famously intones before breaking off. Dave’s quote is enigmatic. Is he seeing God? An alien life form? Both? Whatever the case may be, 2001 is one of the most famous artworks in which religion and sci-fi collide—in which humans’ fascination with God and their attraction to the stars mingle and merge. Duckhorn’s new book features a similar mingling, and it is clear that in her work, space and heaven might be one and the same. In an early poem, “Ode to Orion’s Belt,” reflections on the constellation give way to thoughts about the deity: “Beckoning home to our ancestors / Shedding down life, if you will / Beckoning connect these dots / They were poured out in the Big Bang’s spill. / Don’t forget the ultimate monumental God / The God that improves all finds.” Then later on, in “Shreds of Evidence,” “galaxies swirl[ing] in spindles” become “meditation[s] of the God / Who put one universe on his shelf.” Clearly, the poet loves big thoughts, but it is to her credit that her own meditations seldom float off into the ether. She writes grounded, substantial poetry that both provokes and inspires. If there is any weakness in this truly original collection, it is the poet’s diction, which is occasionally nonstandard—and sometimes just head-scratching. One poem opens “Out of the darkness of the watchful night / Arrive the perpetrators of delight.” One may perpetrate a crime—but seldom a “delight.” Another begins “In the spew of the big bang / Space became / All inhabitants of the heavens / Had roots that grace blamed.” “Spew” is not a noun—at least not formally—and its connotation as vomit seems ill-suited for her lofty themes. Moving verse that reaches for the stars.
– Kirkus Reviews
Flapping Soul, Words in Verse: A Collection of Poems | Bernice Walker
“Flapping Soul, Words in Verse: A Collection of Poems was written following the death of the author’s beloved pet. Her Poems about the loss of a loved one, her initial grief, and her subsequent journey through the stages of grief that followed are expressed in this book in such a contemplative, provocative way that it helped guide me through my own difficult journey when my 35 year-old daughter-in-law passed away”
– Bernice Walker Secretary at Salk Institute, La Jolla, California
Red Daughters in a Foreign Spotlight: A Collection of Poems | Kirkus Reviews
Red Daughters in a Foreign Spotlight: A Collection of Poems
“One thing to be said about Duckhorn’s poetry; readers get value for their money. Duckhorn clearly owes much to Emily Dickinson, another woman known for filling books to the brim with brief pieces. Sometimes, the poet has a fantastic ear for pregnant-though mundane-symbols, as illustrated in “The Net Weight of the Chess Set.” She often seems to have a real knack for phrasing, as with the quick sketch “Who Can Master?”: “Who can chortle in the midst of turmoil / Whose open heart be so driven / Bend down and kiss the good earth / And stay happy when shelter’s not given?”
– Kirkus Reviews
Say Yes To Time: A Collection of Poems | Edward Severson
Say Yes To Time: A Collection of Poems
“The poems are mind stretching and give a new perspective on nature, time and life itself.”
– Edward Severson
of San Diego, CA
Retired Engineer
Say Yes To Time: A Collection of Poems |Bernice Walker
“Marleen is an accomplished poet. She thrills you with her use of our language, takes you on encompassing adventures through space, to heaven, and through the unlimited boundaries of our own minds and imagination. She shares with you her love of nature and her deep appreciation for music. She values friendships, love in all its forms, and poetry, of course. May her well never run dry.”
– Bernice Walker
Secretary La Jolla, Ca
Flapping Soul, Words in Verse: A Collection of Poems | Kirkus Reviews
“A collection of poetry covering a range of subjects including nature, religion and mortality.”
“In her Author’s Note, Duckhorn (Say Yes To Time: A Collection of Poems, 2011, etc.) reveals that she was inspired to write her new book in the wake of her cat Carmie’s death. While only a few poems are directly about Carmie, her influence can be felt throughout the collection. Duckhorn’s love of animals is evident in poems such as “Nature’s Party” and “Hawk Rocket,” and she addresses the crippling power of grief in poems like “Since You’ve Gone” and “I Will Think of You”: “I will think of you / Even when you’ve gone / I will dream of you / You’ll be like a song.””
Flapping Soul, Words in Verse: A Collection of Poems | ForeWord Reviews | Clarion Review
“This poetry, which encompasses multiple spiritual beliefs, honestly represents how people grapple with concepts of faith.”
“Marleen Rita Duckhorn’s tenth book of poems, Flapping Soul, Words in Verse: A Collection of Poems, offers an enthusiastic, sometimes meandering exploration of both the grandness and the minutiae of life. With an eye simultaneously turned toward both her inner and outer worlds, the poet covers subjects ranging from the loss of a pet to angels, from the craft of writing to the galaxy.”
“In a volume that includes more than four hundred poems, Duckhorn’s passion for her craft is evident. Pieces like “Reading The News” and “Mowing The Lawn” demonstrate a keen eye and a heart open to life’s everyday details. Similarly, Duckhorn’s nature poems—“Apple And Bard,” “Hummingbird,” and “Spring Flowers,” to name a few—contain images that affect the reader through their simplicity: “There is honesty in a flower / And the petals are infinite truths / They all spring from enlightened soil / When the sunshine makes it moves.””
“Readers looking for solace will find comfort in Duckhorn’s honest inquiries into the nature of creation and death. Part elegy to her beloved cat, Carmie, the collection includes pieces, such as “The Pinwheel Of The Master,” that wonder at the vastness of the universe juxtaposed with poems like “As Horrible As Death Is” that make plain the agony of grief.”
“Though the material on the back cover makes Duckhorn’s volume sound New Age, moments that encourage the reader to “give your soul a chance to talk” are encountered beside traditional religious imagery of a God in heaven, as well as frequent use of “Lord,” “He,” and “thy.” This creates some confusion over what Duckhorn is trying to say about the soul, but perhaps a view that encompasses multiple religious and spiritual beliefs represents how people grapple with concepts of faith.”
“It takes skill and tenacity to be able to craft thoughts and observations into rhyming lines; one cannot help but imagine Duckhorn’s poems existing like flapping souls on a clothesline—an image the poet conjures in the volume’s title poem—waiting to be released from the strict form that constrains them.”
“Shorter poems like “The Fireplace” are evocative, as are those that play, even slightly, with structure and repetition, such as “Study The Rivers,” “What Poetry Is To Me,” “Adequately,” and “A Soul Is.” Many of the opening lines of Duckhorn’s pieces are striking: “How does the desert monitor time / With all mirages upturning / Barely breathing slow cactus feet.””
“Quality packaging—interesting cover image, simple yet striking black font on a white background, personable author bio—lends the volume a fine first impression.”
“Flapping Soul, Words in Verse: A Collection of Poems will appeal to those who prefer structured, traditional poetry, as well as those who enjoy a potpourri of content to ponder.”
Flapping Soul, Words in Verse: A Collection of Poems | Blueink Review
“Flapping Soul, Words in Verse: A Collection of Poems, by Marleen Rita Duckhorn, is a poetry collection that focuses on spiritual matters, often from a religious perspective.”
“The title poem, “Flapping Soul,” explores an extended metaphor: “Flapping souls are like clothesline sheet [sic] / They flap until we die / Until they strike another sheet / And christen wings that fly.” This image embodies Duckhorn’s approach to the soul as something “concise and wise” rather than a thing unknowable or belonging solely to a higher being.”