Linda Imbler is the author of five paperback poetry collections and three e-book collections (Soma Publishing.) This writer lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband, Mike the Luthier, several quite intelligent saltwater fish, and an ever-growing family of gorgeous guitars. Learn more at lindaspoetryblog.blogspot.com.
Foreword in Mysti Milwee's new poetry book "Human Reaction,
Inspirational Life Lessons Expressed in the Poetry of a Native American Woman's Soul"
It is my great honor and thrill to be able to write the foreword for this glorious collection of poetry from Ms. Mysti Milwee. Thank you, Mysti, for allowing me to present my heartfelt commendation to your marvelous work.
There are many strong poems, but first let me address the title of the book, “Human Reaction”, that perfectly crystallizes the theme of this book. Let me also say up front that if the poems in this volume are not poetry, then poetry does not exist. From ups and downs, extreme euphoria to paralyzing grief, the full circle of emotions is herein described. And all are beautifully traced by the grace of her words. This poet sincerely, and with great effect, lays out her heart and soul. We, meaning all poets, want to do this and hope to do this, but here it is so magnificently done, that the results are stunning. Ms. Milwee calls this the “Transparent Voice.” And it is very delightful to see this put into action by her many word choices and unique phrasings. Her story, entitled (My Story, And Why “Human Reaction” Was Written), is worth many rereads. I found myself drawn back to her story several times as I read through sections of poems. What I found was her own connection to the poems and the story. I found myself saying on more than one occasion,
“Ah yes, she's referring to this experience there”, or “My, how well she handled lifting herself up from
that set of doldrums.” This is a worthy experience for any of the readers of her book to enjoy. She certainly knew where she wanted to place each poem within the book in order to reflect her thoughts and ideas of the storyline. She offers guidance within “To the Well of Emotion,” in a most interesting way. At various points of the manuscript, she leaves space for readers to, as she says, Receive, Reflect, Remember. This is her shout out to Colossians, and it demonstrates her desire to be a witness to things found within the Bible. I have never seen the opportunity for this particular interaction to appear within a poetry collection before. While we, as readers of poetry, tend to do these things within our own heads, to be
invited to do so (wow) and furthermore invited to write our thoughts within her book (double wow.)
I found many lines extremely strong throughout this work. However, I wish to first comment on how one sentence from here “To The Well of Emotion” prose made a very strong connection with my own heart. The statement is “Disappointment isn't the end of the world; it means that the place you wanted to be isn't for you, that your purpose is elsewhere.” I know each reader will find their own lines with which they can connect, lines which describe their own heartfelt emotions to the various circumstances to which Mysti refers.
Now, for those strong lines and how I formed a connection with them. My notes transcribed here as would have been within the pages of her book, had I had a hard copy.
From the following poems:
“To The Well of Emotion”
confessing.......
sins of death's song
Here, I found evidence of her transparent voice. The connection for me lies in the transparency of any confession, not only what we confess after death, but within our time here on Earth. This is a very strong, very real experience for people. To be able to say, this is what I did, this is what I must do to make things right within one's ability to do so.
“Fear Less And Breathe”:
I pulled three sets of lines from this poem that spoke to me in a From A to B to C fashion.
The fear of evil lurking,
open window to breathe -
and eyes loom to reflect on the beauty of where
fear met the breath of life.
When you read the poem in its entirety, you will see how seamlessly Mysti took us on the journey from fear to breathing. She is telling us here that we must look at the whole world to realize the options we have. I loved the way this was done, because rather than telling us to 'lift our eyes', she instead describes the epiphany as breathing. So spot on, Ms. Milwee!
“At The Wishing Well”
shaping life deserved by the
character of the song she wrote
from her heart -
I am a strong believer that we sing our way through life. That singing is strength and life's breath. That song is life. That we sing out to express all emotions we feel. And, when we stop singing, we are done. Mysti expresses here that she is a long way from giving up on life and she is willing to keep her song going. Hooray!
“Temperament”
There are two sets of lines which fit nicely together here.
unnerved for a moment
but composure came back
within a couple of minutes -
after walking away;
defeating the darkness with strength.
How many of us have found strength in walking away from danger, sadness, hopelessness, and then once more finding our purpose? How many of us have been caught in what appears to be endless drama, and had life put on hold in order to be a sad actor within that play, only to realize that all stages have exits?
“Through Hell And Back”
Quicksand made a quick swirl to pull me down under
to break my bones when under intense pressure -
People talk about things, ideas, or other people getting into their bones. This has always been a poetic way of saying that certain things can affect us very deeply. Mysti's experiences, both the horrendous ones and the uplifting ones all affected her deeply. You cannot miss the importance of this concept as you read her work, so brilliantly penned.
“Infused With Light”:
How the sun healed what was
broken and blue and infused
with shades of yellow and white hues.
This was an extremely powerful set of lines. After reading all other poems several times up to this point, I am convinced that ‘sun' could be replaced with 'Son' in Mysti's head. This isn't a slip of the mind here. She fully intended to use 'sun' to represent what she was feeling. My mind created an image of 'Son’. Just shows how powerfully one can create an image of something based on all the other comments in a book. I loved this experience! Thank you, Mysti.
“Wall of Existence”
when the well swells with emotion
and the wall weeps,
My own imagination took me down the path of visualizing the weeping of the wall as its
disintegration. A weeping wall in the state of being dissolved and opening up to the world yet again. Hope springing eternal. Beautiful.
“Ups and Downs”
my soul dances with the
aurora borealis with
a movement of emotion -
Dancing, again a strong sign of life's breath. Beginning to see the light and feel the joy.
And, speaking of joy…
“Drops of Joy”
This poem is my favorite. This is her true turning point, the culmination of all her faith. The last link in Mysti's journey, finally leading to her emotional intelligence. Interestingly enough, she has been quite intelligent throughout this entire voyage. If one can think and feel and wonder and reposition themselves while gauging the outcomes, one is truly intelligent.
So there it is, kind reader. A poetry collection with heart and sagacity, written by a beautiful
woman of our time. One whose work I hope to have the privilege of reading much more of in future times.
Enjoy the beauty and inspiration of her work. Savor her words. Find your own connections. I have no doubt those will be myriad.
Linda Imbler
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