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Sophia's Lost and Found: Poems of Above and Below
"Soon Venus blazes in an indigo sky
and leaves her silver footsteps
in the still lake below.
I'm pierced
Through with beauty."
These phrases, selected at random, catch the author's deep responses to
the myriad worlds within the world. She looks down and sensitively
describes the treasures beneath her feet, but is ready to look up as
well, toward the mysteries hidden among the stars-poems of above and
below. These are dedicated to the ever-new yet ancient wisdom of
Sophia-the very embodiment of wisdom-whom the poet herself subtly
embodies, as her descriptions in her writings reveal, reaching out as
they do into the varied aspects of existence.
Walter Spink
Review of Sophia's Lost and Found by Paul Greenhow editor of PW Review
New book announcement and review
Sophia’s Lost and Found: Poems of Above and Below by Barbara Spring isbn 1-4241-2544-8
Review
A picture is worth a thousand words, but in well under a thousand words Barbara Spring creates pictures of her world for us to see. Through her eyes I see the Michigan shore, the spirituality of those that were here before us, her own deep faith and her family. It could be a recipe for sickly sweet verse, but it isn’t.
Description is Spring’s strength, she brings words together easily to help us to see, to hear and to experience her world:
The belugas will sing to you
songs of Artic ice that cracks like a gun
songs of longing, songs of salt, of swarming krill
from Calling the Whales or this from the opening lines of How to Crack Black Walnuts:
When autumn startled quail at us
and foxtail tickled the air,
we went to the meadow with baskets.
We understand, she has conveyed the experience; we stand in her shoes.
Description without meaning and depth might satisfy for a short while, but we need more than that to satisfy us and the poems here all provoke reflection: on the natural world and our place in it and on questions of faith. Spring sparks thought but never is didactic. We must find our own solutions.
These poems are accessible and readable and yet tingle with mystery without resorting to the hideaway of complexity with which so many poets cover their work. Even deep mysteries of spirituality are not obscured by clouds of convolution. Barbara treats the depth with reverence and we may again stand in her shoes as she articulates the wisdom of Sophia.
So many poor poems have been written to honor families and friends that I cannot begin to count them. Even the best of poets would do well to pass on the inclusion of testaments to their children and grandchildren as rarely can the poet see such poems in their true light. Somehow Spring has managed to avoid the trap and included work that is worthy of this collection. Don’t take my word for it; from Sierra’s Freckles:
Sierra hears singing in the night:
horned owls in the woods and
choruses of toads and crickets in the garden.
Their songs poke holes in the dark:
Here is a poem for any child.
The Sophia of the title is a personification of wisdom; the poems reflect her well.
Review of The Wilderness Within and Interview with Betsie
Rating: Highly Recommended
Oct. 4, 2004
Barbara Spring shows all who will take a moment to ponder her poetry the beauty that is within, without and all around us in our natural world and our more ancient traditions. Spring takes her experiences and her knowledge of the human race’s cultural richness and weaves the two into a lyrical experience for her readers.
I highly recommend The Wilderness Within for everyone. This little jewel has something for the well read and the novice.
Reviewer by Deven Vasko
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An Interview with Barbara Spring
Betsie: To start this off, why don't you give an idea of what the book is about?
Wilderness Within is about wilderness places in nature and wilderness places within the psyche. The poetry comes from where these two places intersect.
Betsie: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life?
I grew up around university towns: Columbia, Missouri and East Lansing Michigan. The University of Missouri and Michigan State University respectively. I always loved reading and began writing little poems as soon as I learned how to write.
Betsie: Who were your earliest influences and why?
My earliest influences were my parents. My mother taught me to read since I had a serious case of pneumonia in the first grade. My father understood good literature, so there were always good books to read around the house. He was a scientist and did original research. He let me observe what was going on in his lab when I was quite young. He also took me on nature walks and explained a lot of natural phenomena to me. When I had a question, my mother would say, “Go ask your Dad.”
Betsie: What would a typical day be like for a writer?
I receive my inspiration from many sources: dreams, people, observations of nature. Sometimes I wake up and write down something that has arrived through a dream. It may take years before I understand the meaning. My poem, “Bear Woman” was inspired by a nightmare. A grizzly bear was battering at my front door in the dream.
The poem took a few years to write because I did not understand it fully right away. People touch me, especially children. My grand daughter hated to go to bed when she was small. I believe it was because she was afraid. That is the origin of “Bedtime
Story.” It begins, “Bako, tell me about the pterodactyls.” A big scary dinosaur that flies embodies a primal fear. Fear is the idea behind the poem. Sometimes I am moved and amused by nature. My haiku about frogs is about their courtship in the spring. They get pretty noisy.
Betsie: How long have you been writing and in what capacities?
I have been writing for many years. I wrote feature articles for the Grand Rapids Press and other publications for a number of years and I really enjoyed interviewing people. I liked older people especially since they have had life experiences and wisdom that was worth noting.
I also wrote a great many travel articles.
My first book, The Dynamic Great Lakes, is non fiction. I interviewed scientists, and naturalists in different disciplines such as geology, fish biology, limnology and the like to get the information I needed. These people are generous and like to share their knowledge. I enjoyed going out on a research vessel on Lake Michigan to observe and learn. I was an adjunct professor at Grand Valley State University at that time and I wrote some articles about the research vessel and those were published. The department appreciated that.
Betsie: Which is more difficult to write - Poetry or nonfiction and why?
Writing non fiction is difficult because you must get your facts and document them. Then you must make the writing engaging to the reader. Poetry is challenging because you are working with the language in a way that will be pleasing to the ear and eye as well as meaningful. I have written some fiction, but I have not published any of it yet.
Betsie: Has there ever been a time when you wanted to throw in the towel and give up? And if so, how did you defeat those instincts?
While working on my book about the Great Lakes, I nearly gave up since I had too much material and I had to put it into some kind of format that would be easy to understand for the readers. The Dynamic Great Lakes is about changes in the Great Lakes and so if the material didn’t fit the concept of changes, I cut. I cut and cut again until I had something I believed would be useful and readable.
I never gave up hope on The Wilderness Within because poetry is something I love to write. My book is a collection of poems that had been published here and there in little magazines plus some new poems and essays. I am really pleased with the book.
Betsie: What is the hardest part about being a writer?
When I worked for the newspaper I hated being edited. I still hate being edited. Sometimes an editor can really help, but not very often.
Betsie: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?
I like the exercise of yoga. It keeps mind and body limber. I like to play the guitar and sing. This helps me to hear. I like to dance. Dancing helps me to feel. I like to paint watercolors and work in other art mediums. This helps me to see. But since time is limited, I have chosen to write over the other arts.
Betsie: Articles and media alike make it sound as though the only way to rise to the top is to sacrifice. What do you find to be good sacrifices?
I have not sacrificed and so I have not risen to the top. I know others that have paid their dues, but this sort of thing does not appeal to me.
Betsie: What question do you get asked more than any other?
Is it o.k. to eat the fish?
Betsie: What’s the coolest thing a reader has said to you?
Several people have said, “I loved your book. I am buying more for friends.”
Betsie: What has been your feedback from readers? What do they say to you about their interpretations of your book?
Both men and women like The Wilderness Within. They laugh at the poem Vernal Equinox—about the part where men stand up to pee in the water. Responses vary depending upon the reader’s experiences. A few liked Easter Morning. A few have said my book is comforting to them.
Betsie: Do you think that as a writer you are more prone to watching what goes on around you and observing behaviors than most people are?
Writing trains the ear and the eye. But you don’t have to be a writer to make these sorts of observations. My grand daughter Rachel does great imitations of people. She’s an actress.
Betsie: Who are some of the authors you consider to be "don't miss"?
I have enjoyed reading Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, Rachel Carson, Diane Ackerman,
Barry Lopez. There are too many to list.
Betsie: If one were looking to start his/her own career as a writer, what would you suggest his/her first step to be?
Keep a journal because you want to, not because you have to. Record anything you like. Let writing become habit forming. Later you can mine the journal for lines and ideas.
Betsie: What kind of movies do you enjoy?
The Cohen brothers have some good ones. I like their regional approach. I liked Fargo because the people from this region were so convincing, especially the woman police officer.
Betsie: What is your favorite city to visit, but one that you wouldn’t want to live in?
I was born in New York City but did not live there very long. I must have some early memory of it though since I feel wonderful when walking around Central Park. My mother used to push my baby carriage on those sidewalks.
Betsie: What’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked in an interview?
If you were czar(ina) of the Great Lakes, what is the single most important thing you would do for them?
This was a good question and I enjoyed answering it but the czar (ina) part was rather strange.
Betsie: What’s the best part of being a writer?
The best part of being a writer is writing something that means a lot personally, and then sharing it with everyone who reads the book.
Betsie: What's next?
Lots of events: tv, radio, bookstore talks. I will be at Schuler’s Books and Music tomorrow and the local tv station in Okemos, MI will tape it. I am hoping lots of people show up. And if they don’t, at least they can see me on tv.
Betsie: Thanks to Barbara Spring for taking the time in interviewing with us and we wish her much success!
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The Dynamic Great Lakes: an Interview with the author, Barbara Spring,
June 2002 as published in the Michigan Environmental Report, vol 20, number 3
What prompted you to write The Dynamic Great Lakes?
I was inspired by a speech I heard while at a writer's conference in Aspen, Colorado. N. Scott Momaday, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The House Made of Dawn, gave a speech on the importance of landscape. When I came home, it occurred to me that my landscape is a waterscape--the Great Lakes system. With this thought, I began to work on The Dynamic Great Lakes. The importance of the Great Lakes is not always appreciated. I wanted people to appreciate them.
Who is the intended audience for the book and who might enjoy reading it?
I wrote The Dynamic Great Lakes with a general audience in mind. I spent a lot of time searching for and up-to-date book about the Great Lakes and I could not find one. I believe my book is important because it shows the Great Lakes and their connecting waters in relation to each other; it shows the lakes in relation to their unique dunes and wetlands and to their biota. The Great Lakes are about 20% of all the fresh surface water on this planet. I wanted to make people aware of how precious this freshwater is and how vulnerable. I want people to feel concerned about how these lakes and their web of life is faring.
Do you think Michiganians generally are knowledgeable about the Great Lakes?
Someone who has lived by Lake Michigan all of his life read my book and said, "I have been taking these lakes for granted."
I believe that people in Michigan and the other Great Lakes states and provinces need to know more about the Great Lakes so they will be in a better position to make good decisions about them. The Great Lakes will become more and more important as our population grows and the people are asked to vote for candidates who will either understand the issues and care for the lakes with future generations in mind, or those who would exploit them for short term gains.
What are your earliest memories of the Lakes?
My earliest memory of the Great Lakes--I must have been about 7--was a trip with my family around Lake Superior's rocky shore. I still remember how awed I felt when I first viewed the largest of the Great Lakes and felt its icy water. My father woke us all up one morning proudly displaying a string of brook trout he had caught from a tributary stream to Lake Superior. We had them for breakfast. Just delicious.
If you were czar(ina) of the Great Lakes, what is the single most important thing you would do for them?
I would develop energy sources that do not threaten the environment. I would phase out the 37 aging nuclear power plants in the Great Lakes watershed and find a way to store atomic wastes in a place where it has no chance of getting into water. That would be my decree. I would hire the best minds to work on this daunting problem and I would tell them to do it will all haste.
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By BOB GROSS
Of The Oakland Press 03/02/2003
March 2, 2003
This is an impressive little book. Not quite 110 pages long,
it's a read of about an hour or so. The author has, however,
managed to jam it full of facts and information about the
Great Lakes.
It's the kind of book that you might keep on a desk, ready at
hand when you need to know something like the native fish
population of Lake Superior.
OK, so maybe not everyone has that need. The point is that
you'll probably learn something about the lakes that you
didn't know before.
I, for example, had never heard of the whiting effect whereby
the lakes regulate the balance between acid and alkaline and
also cleanse themselves of pollutants, including metals - and
that's coming from someone who has lived along the shores of
Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior.
The author also sprinkles a strong environmental ethic
throughout the book, coupled with a belief that the democratic
process can make a difference.
©The Oakland Press 2003
Book Sense Nov 22 2003
The Dynamic Great Lakes
By Barbara Spring
Connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence River, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie form the world's largest freshwater system, and account for almost 20 percent of the Earth's fresh surface water. Due to commercial fishing, the introduction of harmful exotic species, and air and water pollution, the precious ecosystem of the Great Lakes is under constant duress. In her cautionary book, environmental activist and professor Spring enthusiastically explores the Great Lakes, and clearly explains why they should be protected.
Great Lakes Boating
December 2002
For anyone with the curiosity as to what lies beneath the sweet water seas, Barbara Spring has written a book to alleviate this thirst for further knowledge with her book, The Dynamic Great Lakes. From how the lakes were formed to the pressing problems confronting the watersheds today, she documents the changes lake by lake.
The book is a convenient reference to keep on board or to read up on during the winter to increase your ability to take out-of-town clients on lakeshore tours. Be able to explain why the water has its warm spots during the summer, and learn why it takes 99 years for pollutants to circulate out of the southern end of Lake Michigan.
For more information, visit www.publishamerica.com
The Dynamic Great Lakes
Ron Mader
Planeta.com (9/26/2002)
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Interesting collection of essays about the Great Lakes, formed by Ice Age glaciers and now polluted by toxins. The author writes: "The Great Lakes system is a treasure. Understanding their natural processes and understanding the dynamics of what we do is essential to these life-giving waters. |
The Dynamic Great Lakes
Elle Andre-Warner, Book Reviewer, Thunder Bay Post
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada (8/17/2002)
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I've lived beside the waters of Lake Superior most of my life, but it wasn't until I read this book that I've really begun to understand and appreciate Lake Superior and the Great Lakes. The book is only 107 pages but it covers everything you need to know about the Great Lakes: how they were formed, the individual physical characteristics of each lake; their changes over time; the problems that affect them and the possible solutions. And the message that humans can positively affect their environment is strong: think globally and act locally. Entertaining, yet informative -- "The Dynamic Great Lakes" is a must read for anyone living near the Great Lakes. |
The Dynamic Great Lakes
Norman Goldman
Bookideas (8/9/2002)
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Many of us know very little about the five Great Lakes other than perhaps being able to name them. As Barbara Spring states in her introduction to her outstanding primer The Dynamic Great Lakes they are "a flowing river of seas left behind by Ice Age glaciers and are nearly twenty percent of the world's supply of fresh surface water; the world's greatest freshwater system." The ecosystem of this great body of water is very complex and unfortunately due to pollution and the fallout of modern industry and agriculture they have gone through a gradual transformation.
One of the unique characteristics of this compact book is that it is written in a language devoid of esoteric explanations. The eight chapters of the book reflect the author's teaching and journalistic aptitudes in knowing how to unravel the mystery of the Great Lakes and the many painful dangers it has faced and continues to face.
Each of the five Lakes is introduced with a brief synopsis of important elements distinguishing one from the other such as: elevation, length, breadth, average depth, maximum depth, volume, water area, retention time, population and outlet. From this point of departure the author deals with the various changes that have taken place as well as the various major issues affecting the Lakes. There are also brief descriptions of the various animal life found in each of the Lakes and how they have been affected by pollution and the appearance of harmful species, such as the Lamprey Eel.
However, we are also reminded throughout the reading of the book that "people power" can have an effect and if we band together and make our voices heard we could exert influence in reversing some of the harmful trends that have caused ecological disaster. For example we are apprised of the situation that occurred in relation to Lake Erie. In 1969 a tributary river of Lake Erie, the Cayahoga, caught on fire due to being heavily coated with oil and debris. As a result, the Federal Water Quality Administration launched a one and half billion dollar municipal sewage treatment program for the Erie Basin which included the five surrounding states: Michigan, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Indiana.
The conclusion of the book most appropriately reminds us that: "we are all challenged to use our knowledge, creativity and common sense to keep the Great Lakes great. Can you think of ways to think globally and act locally?" We are also warned " life on earth is only possible as long as our limited life support system works. |
The Dynamic Great Lakes
Jonathan David Masters
www.booktrees.com (7/9/2002)
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My first impression of Ms Spring’s book was that here was a woman who was on a labor of love. Her enthusiasm for her subject is contagious. She gives the reader an overall history of the Great Lakes, a few secondary level ecology and geology lessons and then a brief history of each of the five lakes. She then sums up by identifying the major problems and elegantly expresses what she sees as possible solutions.
The general theme of her book is that we have and are continuing to make mistakes with regards to how we’ve handle these lakes in the past and that while some of these mistakes are irreversible (the extinction of species), others can be corrected through the democratic process.
The author is not a doomsday prophet, to the contrary, I found her book full of hope and promise ‘IF’ we (you and I) the ordinary citizen will care enough to become informed and get involved.
Worth a reading if for no other reason then that the writing is masterfully done and the many facts you’ll learn about these ever changing bodies of water are copious and engaging. Reminded me a little of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. |
The Dynamic Great Lakes
Rodney Hsu
Fishing With Rod (7/9/2002)
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Although living in coastal BC, the complexity of the Great Lakes has often made me curious. After attending a lecture in 2000 regarding this subject, I was eager to find out more about the history of this body of water. In the recent month, I have been reading through Barbara Spring's new book The Dynamic Great Lakes and learned a tremendous amount of history and facts.
The Great Lakes are made of several large bodies of water that were formed during glaciation in eastern North America. These bodies of water include Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. It is the largest freshwater system on this planet that are interconnected by waterways and rivers. These lakes are so large that they behave like a small ocean.
Barbara Spring is a resident of the Great Lakes and she has observed and done extensive researches on this complex ecosystem. She is an artist who sees the beauty of the Great Lakes, and a very vocal activitist who is determined to fight against pollution and other threats to preserve this beauty.
As the name implies, The Dynamic Great Lakes describes the changes that these lakes undergo overtime. Reading through this book is like taking a journey through time. Spring introduces you to the major historical events that took place at each lake and the unique characteristics that they possess today. It is a biology lesson and a history lesson that is taught through storytelling by a knowledgeable local. Unlike most scientific publications, one does not have to be a diehard biologist to understand the scientific concepts that are written by Spring. She has written in a language that readers of all ages and education levels can appreciate it.
Spring also addresses the major issues that have been taking place in the Great Lakes during the past few decades. She stresses the devastation of pollutants such as DDT and dioxin have caused in the Great Lakes. She also inspired me by giving examples of how these effects can be reversed when residents are determined to make a difference.
To an angler, this book can be a helpful guide if one wants to understand the dynamic system of a lake. I also enjoyed reading through many biological facts of fish species that were brought up throughout the book. Although my background in limnology is fairly broad, I found that the amount of knowledge that I have gained after reading this book was plentiful. If you are looking for a book that can help you grow as an angler, a scientist or an environmentalist, pick up The Great Dynamic Lakes now. |
Great Lakes Hold Surprising Information
Peter Wild
(5/6/2002)
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U. S. Water News Co -Published by The Freshwater Society
Are dinosaurs cruising the benthic depths of the Great Lakes even while we go about our daily tasks? Not exactly. Yet sturgeon, fish weighing up to 300 pounds and similarly plated with armor,are nosing around down there. Occasionally you can see the monsters appear, making their spawning runs up rivers and surfacing like submarines in the pools beneath waterfalls... The five Great Lakes, holding nearly twenty percent of the earth's fresh water, are quite young. Gouged out by glaciers, they assumed their present shapes a mere 3,000 years ago. For that, they are a dynamic shifting system, still changing and exhibiting surprising differences. Lake Ontario, for example, the easternmost, although smallest of the bodies, holds more water than Lake Erie, its shallower nearby sister. Here's a handy primer for all such things, from the interaction of phytoplankton and calcium carbonate that gives a white cast to these inland oceans come August and helps clean the water to the charming ice volcanoes spouting chilly "lava" in the winter. This is intriguing stuff for adults, but the straightforward presentation also lends itself to use in schools, beginning about the sixth grade and up. And yes, we get the latest news on the zebra mussel, the tube nose goby, and other threats to the natural scheme of things. Also good news; how since the banning of DDT in the 1970's, the bald eagles have come back. The price is reasonable enough, but you can save two dollars by ordering The Dynamic Great Lakes from 1-301-695-1707. |
The Dynamic Great Lakes
Richard Reineke from Portage, MI United States
(4/9/2002)
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This is a wonderful book about the Great Lakes and its unique ecosystem. It contains important new information about toxic plutonium being stored close to the waters edge at several nuclear power plants along the coast of Lake Michigan. Every citizen concerned about the ecological future of the Great Lakes should read this book! |
The Dynamic Great Lakes
Libbey, Gumballpoetry Bookstore
(4/1/2002)
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This is a fascinating and informative read about the ever-changing Great Lakes. It's packed with in-depth history and ecology. Do you know about the disastrous Zebra Mussel invasion? Or how about the Whiting Effect, the few weeks of summer when the surface water of the Lakes turns milky white? Is that good or bad? Read it to find out, and to find out what you can do to help the Great Lakes. |
The Dynamic Great Lakes
The Midwest Book Review, Vol. 12, No. 3
Wisconsin (3/29/2002)
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Written out of appreciation for a most marvelous natural ecosystem, The Dynamic Great Lakes by Barbara Spring is an excellently written, insightfully presented, and engaging guide to the true natures of Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Chapters cover how the Great Lakes were formed, their physical characteristics and the history of their changes, problems that affect them today and offered solutions and more. An important contribution to our understanding of the Great Lakes system, The Dynamic Great Lakes is a wondrous and informative read, recommended for school and community library environmental studies reading lists and reference collections. |
The Dynamic Great Lakes
NancyMarie, Myshelf.com
(3/21/2002)
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Anyone interested in learning more about one of North America’s greatest natural resources will benefit from this book. |
Interesting Read
Margaret Marr, AAS Reviews
(3/21/2002)
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The Dynamic Great Lakes is an interesting read. Throughout the book I found little bits of information that made me stop and think, hmmmm, I did not know that. |
The Dynamic Great Lakes
Stan Lievese, retired fish biologist, Michigan Department of Natural Resources
(3/21/2002)
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Every library should have this book. |
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| Reviews for The Wilderness Within |
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This review was the Editor's Pick in the Lethbridge Insider, a Canadian zine that reviews films and books. Lori Lavalee noticed the things I hoped a reader would in reviewing my poems: transcendence.
Finding Transcendence In Nature
On the cover of Barbara Spring’s first poetry collection, the Wilderness Within, a polar bear saunters across the ice. Given the rugged-sounding title and the harsh arctic climate depicted in the photo, it is obvious that the writer has a love of nature. But why these particular images I asked. Perhaps she’s a person intrigued by nature’s more sublime qualities, the awe-inspiring grandeur of mountains and icebergs for instance. Does she wander the countryside in a dress of Prussian blue, like Dorothy Wordsworth, gathering her poems from nature?
Spring is a keen observer, and she does wander in the footsteps of the Romantic poets: Like them she seeks to find a revelation of Truth in nature, a point of universal connection. In the poem On Puget Sound she finds this on the beach: Underneath my feet/tangled tree roots feel their way/ . . . The roots know I am here-/They send the message of me through networks-/ . . . And the gray whale I greeted in Baja last winter/also knows I am here. . . In Dark Energy, her belief in oneness and regeneration is clear: The dark universe exhales-/ . . . In our hearts we know/there breathes a oneness:/the earth, the stars, beyond./Those we love we will see again.
From the freshwater seas of the Great Lakes near her home on Lake Michigan, to Puget Sound, the Galapagos, Africa, Mexico and the Midwest prairie, she feels these eternal rhythms of nature, in her ears, bones and soul. For her, ideas spring forth and are often expressed in delicate phrasings: There’s an ice bear with hollow hair; the velvet buckhorns of a deer; frozen frog eggs as stiff as little glass jugs; wood frogs dappled in sleek green suits; the liquid halls of an ocean; and Fishbone lattices. A number of her alliterations are also rather good: in the forest a fawn stands for the first time; The Day Lily comes/carrying its candelabra/of burning candles; Canadian Geese Fat with summer’s grasses/Stuffed with Saskatchewan Corn.
While the transcendence of nature is the predominate theme in this collection, not all of Spring’s poems are solemn. In fact, many are playful. In Whale Songs she communes with humpbacks and imagines them asking in puzzlement, “Woman, why don’t you sing to me?” Two Horses has a similar mood. When she tells them how handsome they are the old one strikes a show horse pose/even though he is bony, spavined, swaybacked. The young one looks at her with the eyes of a child/on the first day of school.
Another fun aspect of Spring’s book is the inclusion of shape poems, where the text is formed like its subject. My Kites is quite entertaining as is My Strawberries. Other times her poems read like colourful social commentary. Birth Control for the Earth Mother Rampant Upon a Fruitful World is a good example of this. It’s about a painter-woman whose creativity flows from her femaleness; a goddess on the birth control pill who remains fecundate, by giving birth to canvas.
In her work Spring draws from many traditions, including Christianity and Darwinism. Jonah’s Journey is of course a retelling of the parable, Jonah and the Whale. In a poem called Praise, where a reader would expect religious underpinnings however, the tone is instead deliberately secular in its celebration of universal and individual contrasts. After travelling to the Galapagos Islands, Spring writes an essay that she dedicates to Charles Darwin, a tribute to the evolution of species. This experience thus becomes another testament to the eternal and universal connection she believes all life energy has.
Her prose style is, however, somewhat simpler: We loved frolicking in the water with the California sea lions [she writes]. They may look awkward on land, but as we peered through our diving masks, we could see their grace under water. They peered back at us with curiosity. Similarly, her essay entitled “Copper Canyon and the Tarahumara Indians” seems incomplete, ending rather abruptly with: It would be a loss to the world if these hardy survivors could not continue to live has [sic] they have for centuries.
Overall, her travel pieces are not her best work. She is not a Mary Kingsley, but she doesn’t profess to be either. She is a tourist, not an explorer or adventurer. In Floreana, for example, she lands on a beach where there is no human habitation and we can almost see the tour guide herding the group back onto some sort of mass transport: Humans go mad here-/odor of sulfur in the air-/our cameras stop . . . It’s time to go/yet we take one last stroll/ . . . In Riding the Spirit Elephant we actually see the guide, a Zimbabwean man she rides an elephant with, and a tourist’s eagerness to accept simple truth: “We treat the elephants with kindness here,” he said, and I could see it was so.
The saving grace of her travel pieces, however, is that she is generally knowledgeable about the native species both in foreign and North American lands. More importantly, it is evident that she respects nature: There be talismans here/left by pirates and hikers . . . and so I leave what the sea has left:/ the innermost spiral of a shell. This sensibility is also evident in Wildflowers, a simple but beautiful poem that begins: Please take these flowers I never picked:. . . As the poem progresses, the narrator proceeds to describe the bouquet that she might have picked, could have picked, but didn’t. Dorothy Wordsworth would certainly have received this gift most graciously.
In her poetry Spring also comments on urbanization’s encroachment on nature. She mentions that she watches deer as they cross the city street, appear near a cornfield, and graze in a fragrant mown field. The looming presence of the Palisades nuclear power plant is another recurring image. Rather than being weighed down by these unfortunate realities however, Spring instead chooses to celebrate the cycle of life. Even the passing of her beloved grandmother is not exceedingly distressing to her as we see in The Entryway. The Green Man’s Secret about her father’s passing, has a similar message of regeneration. Furthermore, she recognizes that in death her own body will begin to sustain new life. Refuge is a foretelling of this knowledge: She falls asleep on the sand and wakes to find herself covered in ladybugs. They’ve sought shelter in her as if she were driftwood/sand/or a tree. Images of rebirth appear in many of her poems. In Bedtime Story she describes hills that are still curled like newborns. In The Library at Alexandria, horses gaze into her eyes like newborns.
Spring is a woman with great spiritual depth, an optimist. These poems have come together over more than a twenty-year period and some have been published in other collections. Others have won small literary prizes. There’s a lot of beauty here, a lot of insight, humour and wit. It is evident that poetry is a way of life for her. What is less distinct though, is her pattern of organization. There is a great variety of style and subject matter in the collection, but the editor seems to have left it to the reader to piece together Spring’s development as a poet. Although her work may never become critically acclaimed, the determined act of giving life to her ideas through writing is proof that it really doesn’t matter.
High School Library
I peer into the rectangle of glass
To observe school of students
drifting among the stacks,
nibbling the edges of books.
The bold ones command the center space
the quiet ones lurk in study carrels and
Circumvent the center aisles.
I observe their eddies of movement,
the interplay of dominances, sudden disquiets
and momentary alert silences.
The dream of wild rivers
lies in back of their eyes.
I tap on the glass with my fingers;
they turn and stare with pineal eyes.
- Barbara Spring
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| Review of The Wilderness Within from Midwest Book Review |
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A Gem
Sherry
USA (7/20/2003)
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As a child I loved poetry. As an adult, one of my favorite possessions is a 1921 edition of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. I also possess several other collector copies of 19th century poets. It is said that the earliest forms of poetic expression induced the very unfolding of communication and language itself. When I started reading The Wilderness Within written by Barbara Spring, I was not expecting to fall in love with this little gem of a book and savor it poem by poem. Ms. Spring considers the mystery of the world in her poems sharing impulses of curiosity along with the complexity of nature, life and death. Her poems are in privileged alignment with the living and breathing spirit. She possesses the poetic eye for passing flecks of details while bearing witness to her vast travels and experiences. Several stories and pictures flank some of the poems. The stories offer trip details to the Copper Canyon and the Galapagos Islands while the pictures add additional stimulation for the mind. I read this book three times before writing this review trying to find my favorite poem. I simply couldn’t decide on one favorite. Each poem has its own unique spiritual and intellectual wandering to it. Poems such as “Bedtime Story”, “Bloodroot Bearings”, “The Green Man’s Secret” and “The Entryway” all bear witness to the author’s yearnings and passions about life. This book offers up a number of delicious poems. It is a true fascinating delight, elegant in style and profound in feeling. “The Wilderness Within” is a tempting glimpse of the moves of a first rate talent and I look forward to reading more from Ms. Spring. Sherry Russell Intriguing Authors |
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| Review of The Wilderness Within by Chesil, editor of PW Review |
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You don’t have to read too far into Barbara Spring’s poetry collection, “The World Within”, to see the common theme that threads through her poetic vision. Nature has always been a powerful inspiration to poets and there is an exceptional understanding and love of the natural world expressed in these poems and essays.
I have always believed that one of the best ways to identify a formidable poet is their use of strong words, powerful words. No fear of such words here: battering and beat, both words of considerable power appear in the first poem, Bear Woman. Strong words bring strong images and it becomes possible to see into Barbara’s vision of nature that is loving without being sugar coated. She sees the reality, the threats that face this world she loves so much. Don’t mistake me, these are not protest poems, there is no didacticism here, but works of appreciation and understanding that repay careful reading.
Visual images are also strong in Barbara’s work and there are poems here that come alive because of the addition of form to words – Ruby Throat is a fine example in the early pages of the book.
There are occasional departures from the natural world, The Library at Alexandria carries echoes of Robert Bly and is dedicated to him. It is an exceptional poem even among this collection of consistently fine work.
Spring is a poet worth getting to know. She sees a world we all know and expresses it eloquently: “I am Earth, red sun and yellow flower” from Meditation and yet there is also mystery here, she inhabits the spirit of the natural world:
From Bonesounds
Of my jointed finger bones
string wind chimes
so breezes may click them
outside your bedroom window.
This is a consistent collection, though, of course, there are variations within a volume of this length. Nevertheless, those I would have excluded are few and none jar the senses by being downright bad.
Overall, this is an impressive work. The poet lays her visions bare and we come away the richer for that.
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Barbara Spring,
The Wilderness Within
(PublishAmerica, 2003) Review Excerpted from Rambles |
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Barbara Spring's first collection of poetry, The Wilderness Within, is notable for a wealth of striking images and apt turns of phrase. It is not an unqualified success, but does provide a series of sensitive and often revealing vignettes.
It is quite apparent from this collection that Spring is a traveler; there are poems sparked not only by the Great Lakes and the prairies of her native Midwest, but also by the Pacific Northwest, the mountains of California, Alaska, the Galapagos, Mexico and Africa, touching subjects as far afield as whalesong, the African night, a lost fawn and the act of creation. There is a near-mythic quality to many of these small works -- most of them are short, seldom more than a page, sometimes no more than three or four lines -- which points to the connections that poetry should make for us, between the world we see and the world that some part of us remembers. |
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