Inflorescence: The Pasture at Rest by Marjorie Gowdy

In Inflorescence: The Pasture at Rest Marjorie Gowdy immerses us in farmland and mountainside, with images and patterns timeless as the land itself. As she ambles “among the chest-high Susans,” or smells the “Flattened streams of smoked ham reach toward the vale,” she pulls us along with her. Marjorie writes the tender side of life, from bees and barn swallows to hands touching “beneath the ivy tree, years wrapped around a patient poplar.” Listen, too, for her condemnation of “Man’s callow disregard,” both for the Earth and for each other. In “A Murmuration” Marjorie writes “‘Tis not wit nor skill that keeps me alive,” but wit and skill are certainly alive in her writing. I for one, dear reader, am grateful Marjorie Gowdy is sharing her wit and wisdom in these poems.

–Pamela Brothers Denyes, Author, The Right Mistakes and The Widow’s Lovers

What a marvelous poet. Marjie Gowdy reminds me of the great Romantic poets, especially, John Clare, for she can name every flower and tree around her. She paints an indelible stamp. Only a seasoned florist and botanist could write powerful nature poems like these. She can be succinct and terse as Emily Dickinson. In thinking about her father in” Inflorescent”, she laments “Flowers return. He does not.” It reminds me of Emily who said “I heard a fly buzz before I died.” Buy this chapbook. It is worth far more than its listed price.

–Maurice Ferguson, Poetry Editor, Artemis

This book reflects the beauty of the natural world based on the knowledge and experiences of a seasoned gardener.  The author treats every element nature as though they are old family friends. There is a kindness and appreciation of both the flora and fauna in the author’s world that is captivating and inspiring. The writing is beautiful and takes the reader into a world rich in complexity and subtlety that makes this poetry compelling.

–Peter Haslett Kelly, Poet and Composer