“A blaze of meaning in every strand”
There is a blaze in every line of these poems. Eileen P. Kennedy’s poems about the death of her partner to Early Onset Alzheimer’s captivate us with their sheer will and force because they build and form lines of eloquent determinacies, saying everything that is hard to say with such deep, affective tonal conviction and craft. Her powerful verses endure: “I follow you to my wreck.” The “wreck” is the emotional centers of these poems that never avert from the reality of this loss. The poems join the visage of past memories and present conditions, making each a poignant step of recovering the truth of grief.
–Prageeta Sharma, author of Grief Sequence (Wave Books, 2019)
In Touch My Head Softly, Eileen P. Kennedy has written an extraordinary book of poems about the death of a male lover taken in middle age with Alzheimer’s Disease. On every page of this engrossing book, she draws the reader into a world marked by heterosexual passion, mutual admiration, a profound love of nature, and a deep commitment to beauty––in music, in art, in human relations. Remarkably, Kennedy steers absolutely free of any untoward emotionalism. Her portrayal of the depth of her sorrow, could not, I think, strike the reader as more genuine.
–Preston M. Browning, Jr., Associate Professor Emeritus of English, University of Illinois at Chicago, Director, Wellspring House Writers Retreat
Eileen P. Kennedy has created a timely elegy and song of praise for our threatened, beautiful Americas, both North and South, through the lens of the personal: lovers facing great loss during the devastating course of a ravaging illness. Her gaze is generous and unflinching, and her language concise, lyrical, haunting.
–Carol Edelstein, author of Past Repair (Simian Press, 2020)
When do you become a stranger to your lover? How could he have died suddenly without you there? Dementia changes a passionate relationship and evokes fear of aging and death along with the memories of pre-Alzheimer’s precious times. Moving from finishing ‘each other’s sentences,’ to being unrecognized and accused of betrayal, these are heart-wrenching poems of mourning, passion, and homage. Eileen P. Kennedy spins a story of desire, outrage and coming to terms with the unthinkable.
–Cheryl J. Fish, author of Crater & Tower (Duck Lake Books, 2020)
Brilliant Light Publishing Recommended Poet for Touch My Head Softly:
https://www.brilliantlightpublishing.com/eileen-p-kennedy_poet_massachusetts
Gene Tencza –
In “Touch My Head Softly” Eileen P. Kennedy relates the experience of two losses. She loses her partner even before he dies. Her poems are written with such heartfelt depth of feeling that you can almost feel it yourself. You know exactly how deeply she feels about a lover, and the loss of a lover, and the death of a lover.
Michael Poblete –
This is a devastating and powerful work of poems that intertwines beauty, loss, aging, intimacy and, frankly, what it means to be alive. Would recommend to anyone that loves bold and engaging poetry.
Kathryn Holzman (verified owner) –
Beautifully crafted and poignant.
Cheryl J Fish –
Devasting heartbreak documenting the changes in a relationship beyond our control. Poetry that doesn’t mince words on what’s possible and unthinkable when we love.
Kat Altman –
This book took me on a journey of the joy and pain of love and loss with such careful, vivid, and stark detail and use of language. A powerful read and way to explore our relationships to grief and loss.
Eileen P. Kennedy Author –
Here’s a sample poem from the collection:
Later and Before
When I think of Oaxaca
I remember the Zócalo
where they sold pipa del agua
and chocolate dripping from paper cups.
Where Sunday afternoons brought older couples swaying tall salsa
to the discordant strains of the band.
Where the dark-walled church’s stained glass windows
struggled with the odd ray of light.
Where the ghost of D.H. Lawrence
wrote in that park about Zapotec mornings.
Where you read him aloud to me there.
Where you sat next to me on the bench.
Where I looked up and you sent a smile.
Later there was so much darkness
even the Mexican sun
couldn’t break through.
But that day, that day
you murmur to yourself
of the glory of the words
shimmering on the page.
Sugar birds sing the praises.
Jane McPhetres Johnson –
The one-word response that comes to mind is “indelible” because the reader is left with images and emotions having the staying power of blood-red wine, especially when the glass has been dropped or even thrown. Taken together, the poems tell a love story that may leave marks so poignant that they feel like one’s own.