The Loom of the Light
By Donald J. Young
Xlibris Corporation
ISBN 1-4134-0684-X

he title hints at the somber nature of most of these poems. It also contains a gleam of hopefulness. Many of Donald Young's poems, in this particular volume, are focused on the dismal theme of war. Portrayals of war which might be disturbing to some readers are depicted powerfully and touchingly. Paradoxically, the poems themselves leave the reader with a sense of calmness due to the deliberate pacing of his works. Some of these poems are difficult to read, yet soothing. The poetry itself is quite accessible for the general reader as in this excerpt from Three Famous Men:

The third was Einstein
who talked to us at night
baggy pants, old
tennis shoes, and
with those large
and soulful eyes
that had looked into
the heart of night.

In The War, Young leaves the reader with an almost preposterous (given the subject) sense of peacefulness and quietness. A gorgeous example:

the columbine put down
its blooms
like markers on a grave;
and all the flowers
that blossomed
on the fields of death
clamored for peace.

The pace of the poetry is sobering, interspersed with interesting linebreaks. Not all the poems are heart-wrenching. The Dowry Chest is simply lovely. Some might find the poetry here to be prosaic but there are memorable metaphors mixed-in. For the more obtuse references, Donald Young provides helpful notes. This is not an easy read due to most of the subject matter, which, at times is gruesome, even grisly.

The book itself, is outstanding, with a beautiful photograph gracing the cover and alluding to the title. It is published by Xlibris, which is "in strategic partnership with Random House." An accomplished writer, Young taught Creative Writing at Williams College and has published novels, novellas, and other books of poetry.

This is a book to remember, as are these lines:

I hope, in my after-
life, I'll have
a dream of earth
in which I'll live
outrageously.

© Reviewed by Melanie McConnell