‘The world did not topple over – / It was made to stop in its tracks.’ Photo: Book cover of Twist of Love, by Rosemary May Wells
Twist of Love, by Rosemary May Wells
Author: Rosemary May Wells. Review by Sue Wheeler
Rosemary May Wells’ fourth collection of poems is the companion to her first, God is an Onion. It encompasses global and everyday life events, as well as people and friendships, and the natural world and the local area. All this is done with warmth, love and grace.
Rosemary has a deep appreciation of the value of our diverse human gifts, and expresses these qualities under a variety of headings. Among the group of poems headed ‘Friends’, is ‘For Penny’, in which she cites: ‘Strangers met as friends, and presiding / One whose gift for friendship brought us all together.’
And in ‘Peter’ she expresses his gift ‘“You mean a lot to many people, Peter,” I said to him. / “I know,” he said, with quiet assurance.’
Our diverse gifts make us human but recognising them brings love into play.
In the ‘Happenings’ section we glimpse global or far-reaching issues. ‘Continental Drift’ challenges us to recognise that: ‘There is a dark side. / People fleeing from fear, / Terror in their homeland.’
Rosemary, however, will always bestow the light as the stanza ends: ‘Be on the move and there is hope, / Maybe.’
‘Pre coronavirus-2020’ describes her fear at the speed of life: ‘When will the spinning top of the world topple over?’
‘Response 2020’ comes reassuringly when we turn the page: ‘The world did not topple over – / It was made to stop in its tracks.’
The question then is: what do we do about the ‘spinning top’ society has become? Do we wish to keep some changes the pandemic incurred?
‘Loved Places’ and ‘The Natural World’ introduce us to the local area, but this is not done with chocolate-box perfection. In ‘St Mary Magdalene Cemetery’ Rosemary expresses her love of the less lovable of nature’s corners: ‘I love the unkempt beauty / Of this quiet corner / God’s little acre.’
The beautiful Mottisfont Gardens, in Hampshire, are described as: ‘Flowered history, caught / In scent and colour.’
A diverse source of spiritual writings enrich Rosemary’s life, from the Taoist logo on the cover of the book to ‘Trust Life’, which tells us about Rosemary’s introduction to Quakers, ending with ‘and God who had something to do with it all’. She pronounces ‘In the Shower’ her firm belief that ‘One meets God wherever the self is real’.
Twist of Love has the beginning and the last word in faith: ‘That out of life’s raw happenings / God twists his golden love.’
A delightful anthology that especially pleases me as I find each poem understandable!
Copies of the book are available from rosemarymaywells@gmail.com.
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