E.L. Colombini dedicates this poetic memoir of life experiences to his wife, but it’s also for others whom he invites, in his preface, to sit with him and “let the timeless dreams of places mentioned be your adventure.”
The collection is divided into eight sections, beginning with “Of Thought,” where the poems are self-reflective, introspective, romantic and therapeutic, and always in celebration of life. In the poem “But You,” for example, the subject is letting go: “Reach in deep/pulling the wretchedness/ from within you./Spill out all that hurt and/anger that has bothered/few, ‘But You.’”
The section “Of Love” contains but one poem: “A Love That is Almost Holy,” in which Colombini, after acknowledging “there is no Love/Greater than God’s/love for man./As is, the Love Man/gives unto God,” proclaims his love for his “Dearest”: “My dearest/ . . . now that/ life is ending,/I promise to be there;/Waiting beyond/in the Heavens above . . .”
In the section “Of Places,” Colombini recalls the “colorful gardens” of Capri, the “gracious living souls” of the Tuscan countryside, the “beauty and mystery” of China, “a serene Castle of dreams,” and more.
Other sections focus on travel and adventure, people, music, war, and finally on death and eternity, of which Colombini writes, “I am the/dove in calm/and soaring flight,/and after,/in the still of the night/I am the star,/the one in millions/you see so bright.”
The poetry is often hindered by its straightforward presentation that tends to come across more as prose than poetry, as well as by a lack of vivid and fresh imagery. Overly familiar phrases such as “gentle breeze,” “burning desire” and “regal majesty” do little to grip readers and bring them fully into a scene.
Yet the work unfolds naturally and gently in an elegant voice filled with honesty in the joy of being. Ultimately, this is a thoughtful memoir that will be cherished most by the loved ones whom Colombini has so cordially invited into his life.
Also available in hardcover.
