Sensing

 Title: Sensing

Author: Diana Haemer

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

Genre: Poetry

Synopsis:

From prom & college acceptances to heartbreak and personal loss, Diana Haemer’s second book of poetry represents her life’s work. Sensing is an autobiographical journey that encapsulates the essences of nature, love, loss, and family exploring a variety of poetic styles (villanelles, sonnets, haikus, et al). Written over the span

of six years, this book is a collection of moments: she details what it means to grow from the pressures of being a competitive figure skater into a self-assured young adult. She tells of her travels through time and space with a distinct honesty and openness, convincing readers of her truths in a soft yet beautiful way.

My Review:

If you have ever wanted to give an ode to a mailbox, then Diana Haemer’s newest poetry book, Sensing, might be for you! This is Diana’s second poetry book; her first is The Sands of Time. Diana is a former figure skater, a student of science, and a literary fiend. When she is not writing poetry, she likes playing piano, knitting, baking, and figure skating.

Diana has organized her poems under five headings. They represent nature, musings, growing up, love, and heroes. The poems vary in style and length. The topics range from snow to the ocean, to solitude, tears, prom, the virus, puppy love, Gramma, and so much more.

Diana has chosen some unique topics to use as poems. For example, I have never discovered a poem about iced tea before. While this may seem like a fluff piece, I believe the lyrics are more meaningful than what they appear to be at the surface level. She also writes about things currently going on with our country, such as the racial division that runs rampant. She says in one poem, “Color merely serves As a process by which the world Has sorted us And who are we to care?”

One thing that I believe would have made this book more interesting, would be to include some illustrations, to enhance the reading of this book. I do not mean big, bold images. As an example, “Ode to Mailbox” could have had a doodle of a mailbox or just a sketch of one. Just something to represent the whole of the poem. Not every poem would need an image, as some would be hard to depict. As an example, “That Kind of Thunder.”

My favorite poem was “an ocean of endless wonder” as it transports me to the beach. However, it is not a light and fluffy piece, it is actually pretty deep. For example, “The darkness of the sandy floor And deepness of the wave troughs Frighten me with their mystery – Do I dare to venture into the unknown?” My second favorite was “Who I Am.” Diana explains exactly who she is, but you can feel the emotion behind the poem.

I recommend Sensing to anyone who enjoys poetry. It is a fairly quick read, depending on how long you chose to contemplate the meaning of each poem! There is not any profanity or objectionable content in Sensing. I believe it would be suitable from about high school age on up. It would be a great addition to any home, school, or public library. 

I first published this review on Reedsy Discovery here. 

★★★★/5