Inheritor

Jeanine Stevens is interested in origins. Intrigued and inspired by the elusive, the edge of things and fragments, these concerns come to life in INHERITOR, which includes portraits of women: a first job, thrift stores, a bombed-out kitchen, Helen at Troy, a seedy garret and an invitation to the Aphrodite Taverna. There is also an appreciation of the sensuousness of the male body in "Kelp," Five Nudes" and "Minotaur Surprised while Eating." Locales include the Sierras, America's Midwest, the Dordogne and the Aegean. The first poem, "Wintering Mushrooms," sets the tone of the unexpected in remote places. It is evident that the author is mesmerized by Rumi and other cultures past and present. Even with war, ecological damage and poverty, beauty and desire exist. These poems give the reader insight into personal symbols, a melody perhaps, a scent, an overindulgence in figs and sardines. Follow the thread; the steppes, the savannas, the Solomons are waiting.