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The Wind and the Willow
A Broad Audience
Review by John Ballard
“Are these assumptions of reality/The shackles that need to be broken[?]”queries Rose Marie Raccioppi in “Possibility,” from The Wind and the Willow, her first collection of verse. The line is emblematic of her core pursuit to pierce beyond the illusory veils of the material world while paradoxically being dependent upon reality for drawing imagery to provide intimations of the “Beyond.”
A non-denominational devotional poet with fervent pantheistic longings, Raccioppi’s metaphors and unpretentious affirmations appeal directly to the heart. In this volume she creates a metaphysical poetry and is content to take her simple Shelleyan imagery wherever she finds it within nature’s bounty.
The Wind and the Willow consists mostly of brief meditations and what Raccioppi calls “mindscapes” which constantly seek calming epiphanies of self-recognition in the fleeting moments, even in the midst of turbulent and painful experience. At her best, in works such as “This Night Knows No Sleep,” “This a Winter’s Night,” “Away You Fly,” “Descent No More,” “But Can I Share,” “The Wind and the Willow,” “Swaddling Divine,” and “Now and Ever Blessed,” Raccioppi attains perceptual clarity and an incantatory music that might remind readers, by turns, of Henry Vaughan’s devotional lyrics, Walt Whitman’s celebrations of the unbridled Self, the near-improvisatory freshness of D.H. Lawrence’s “Pansies,” and William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence.” This is poetry that is designed to reach a broad audience.
Lyrical Poetry
Review by Lynne R.
Rose Marie Raccioppi's poetry: deeply connects one with nature's beauty in all its glory, gives voice to life's greatest pains and pleasures and asks and answers the important questions regarding the meaning of existence both in the present moment and throughout eternity. All of this is accomplished through an unwavering faith in and homage to a G-d that is responsible for creating it all. Her poetry is lyrical, her imagery vivid - as seen through a painter's eye, yet spoken from a deeply feeling heart and an evolved soul. I highly recommend The Wind and the Willow to anyone who has or wishes to experience the duality that comprises the human condition, joy and sorrow, despair and hope, uncertainty and faith.
Synopsis
Words heard, spoken, and written, reflections, musings and the ever-present quest for understanding and well being, move this poet's pen. Childhood, motherhood and the ravages of cancer are all woven into the fabric of time and being. Offered here are the impressions and pondering that grasp at the very core of being. The Wind and the Willow is a deeply heartfelt expression of life known, fears conquered, anguish dispelled and the ever-present gift of faith. Journey with words to bridge reverie and revelation, to move beyond despair to the embrace of innocence and delight, be it the brightest or darkest hour.
Pub. Date: June 2008ISBN-13: 9781604744545
