IN THE BELLY OF THE MOON by RUTH DOMBROW
OutskirtsPress.com
A BOOK REVIEW
by KATHRYN MAGENDIE
Ruth Dombrow's In the Belly of the Moon, a selection of original artwork and poetry, caught my attention at once with its captivating title and bold cover art in variations of greens, yellows, and the predominant raging reds, perfect for the words contained within.
Each poem is presented by her art work, which at first glance seems chaotic and wild, then the eye takes in the detail, the perfect placement of line, image, color, and hidden meaning. Her art and poetry cradles the unsaid, but more often celebrates the blatantly blunt message. Bold, rageful, the unsettled work of one who opens up wounds and explores them, bleeding out poison, and then leaving the edges jagged so they can not be forgotten by time and circumstance.
Dombrow's poetry reveals family: father mother daughter grandmother grandfather, and the title poem IN THE BELLY OF THE MOON--Light shears off a comet, sails through the fiery sky, a glimmer of Venus in the armpit of Mars––is ethereally beautiful, yet there are meanings hidden in the belly of the poem which one reads, and then reads again, letting the words settle on the skin until absorbed. Then, there are those who hover peripherally, but importantly, in the poet's life, as in FLIRTING WITH INFINITY--With his dark mustache and easy smile, he reveals more and more of what she aches to know––beckoning the reader into an understanding with the poet about relationships. Feelings of accepted loss and love, or loss because of love, continue throughout her work.
Poignantly aware, achingly sweet, tragically blunt, and sadly born, Ms. Dumbrow's book of art and poetry will linger far after the last page is turned.
Kat Magendie left behind her beloved moss-filled grandfather oak trees in South Louisiana and escaped to her mountain fiction world in North Carolina where she spins tales, drinks Deep Creek Blend coffee, an occasional glass of wine, and even more occasional glass of vodka tonic with lime, and contemplates the glow of old Moon. She is the author of three novels, numerous short stories, and a few hopeful poems.
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3 comments:
Kat, your review of In the Belly of the Moon makes one want to go out into the night right now to purchase the volume, even if one is clothed in p.j.'s. I'm sure Barnes & Nobles has seen a lot worse. Thanks for giving such a wide-ranging view of the poetry withing this new book. Your words themselves evoke what the poet must have wanted to convey.
Thanks, MA.
P.S. Your old oak trees miss you. And we do, too.
Your words inspire a greater rythym as a succession of poiniant beats leap from the page. This review delves between the deep twisted lines of obscurity. Fluttering yet stable----hard yet flaccid-----meek yet bold. I'm off to lose myself "In the belly of the moon"
haven't read the book, but after k.m.'s inticing review, that situation soon to be reversed.
"Her art and poetry cradles the unsaid."
what better hook could you ask for?
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