Review of Leaving Only Impressions by Dianne Robitaille

Leaving Only Impressions, poetry by Dianne Robitaille, 1999, $3 check made out to Ibbetson St. Press, 33 Ibbetson Street, Somerville, MA 02143.


I enjoyed this chapbook and had not seen Dianne's poetry before. The writing is crisp, clear, succinct, and to the point, like a Raymond Carver short story. The emotions are heartfelt, soul-searching, honest and raw. So many good poems, impossible to capture the essence of this chap in just one poem excerpt, but I loved the ending poem, it was the most majestic: Lost Love reads:

"If it were to be said that the night engulfs you, that all thoughts hang on old laundry cords--frozen with ice bits that knowledge is something privileged--a table setting for engaging friends sharing warm laughter if it were to be said that touch heals worn souls, and life, born in clay molds, forms sparks of glazing light setting ablaze willful love; that one's mind may expand then dive deep into life's seeding marrow; that naked eyes spanning one's lifetime may dispel of blind hindsight, then it would be a fair and good thing to lay on the ground, gently counting and gathering star bodies so they may be carefully held in one's pocket.

" Poetry of rare beauty and hard won truths, Dianne Robbitaille's Leaving Only Impressions is highly recommended.

---LUCID MOON POETRY.COM