Description
Marylin Lytle Barr’s book of poems, Unexpected Light, is a celebration of a lifetime’s living close to nature and family. Her poems are composed of closely observed objects, moments, and emotions that her readers will understand immediately, even though they may not be poets themselves. Wonderful images fill these pages. Longer poems are interspersed with terse lyrics that recall the intensity of Japanese haiku, beautifully spaced on the page in short lines. Old houses, and familiar objects weave their spell. The visual character of Marylin Barr’s poetry is linked to her other talent as an artist: she “sees” intensely and makes the reader understand more and see better. To read her work in Unexpected Light is to have one’s own appreciation of nature and the richness of life enhanced, which is one of the genuine marks of poetry.
