In Joan Roberta Ryan’s debut collection, Shakespeare’s dark lady writes her own sonnet, Cinderella reveals the sexual snare she and her godmother set for Prince Charming. And a pile of outgrown Barbie dolls lie about “Bosch-naked,” menaced by demons from The Garden of Earthly Delights. Here, the real and the dream world converge in a broad array of poems about—and often narrated by—the “bad girls” and other mysterious or misunderstood women from art, literature, and life.
Many offer new takes—some witty, some chilling—on the courtesans, shrews, schemers and liars we know from stories and paintings. Others illuminate the real and imaginary figures who people the poet’s own world—from a mad sister she sees in her dreams as a night-blooming cactus to the enigmatic mother who slipped away “memory by memory, / word by word” until “when the final / syllable left, you followed.” And a scattering of irreverent love poems blends all these encounters into an insightful — and often erotic — celebration of the ups, downs and quirky twists of a long-term relationship.
Many offer new takes—some witty, some chilling—on the courtesans, shrews, schemers and liars we know from stories and paintings. Others illuminate the real and imaginary figures who people the poet’s own world—from a mad sister she sees in her dreams as a night-blooming cactus to the enigmatic mother who slipped away “memory by memory, / word by word” until “when the final / syllable left, you followed.” And a scattering of irreverent love poems blends all these encounters into an insightful — and often erotic — celebration of the ups, downs and quirky twists of a long-term relationship.
Available now with FREE Shipping from Three: A Taos Press.