Cloud Birds
by Sheila Packa
Wildwood River
ISBN: 978-0984377725
$15 Softcover
Sheila, the descendant of Finnish immigrants, writes her poems within the setting of the Iron Range and Western Lake Superior.
Her style is both visual and rhythmic, with words flowing to create a song-like quality, but with the strength to pull the reader to an abrupt halt. She can lull the reader and also shock.
One of my favorite poems was “memory migration.” Another was “not forgotten,” in which Sheila remembers her father through the memory of him teaching her to ride a bike. “By his side, I learned balance/and took on speed” and eventually she rode on out of his life. This theme is later picked up in “road” and “street musician”: “your strings are roads/that connect to the highway/miles I haven’t gone”. – ML
The books reviewed here, unless indicated, should be available through local booksellers by using the ISBN number. More regional reviews can be seen on www.LakeSuperior.com.
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