A Pocketbook of Wry

By B. Germain

"A pocketbook of wry" is a third collection of poems from prolific poet/writer B. Germain. This set of 77 poems written under mostly pandemic protocol represents exploration both away from and back to rhyme - in new forms and cryptic styles. The themes of the book center always on purpose, praise and living out the philosophies of our personal preferences - as B. Germain interrogates in almost every poem - the who, whom, what, which, why, when, where and how of a purposeful life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Apr 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781665741255

B. Germain

B. Germain has been studiously writing poetry now for 35+ years. Her voices befit her more comfortably as the years add up, while her comfort level with criticism adds a touch of joy to her craft. Surrounded by a bevy of muses and first readers, her primary inspiration is from the exploration of words and their evocative strengths. She writes 24-7, as a turn of phrase sends her to pencil and paper, word document or note, documenting keenly those many varied word impressions that flood her mind that stays "on" through many a long night and lengthy day! Daughter, sister, mother, wife, friend and believer - B. Germain seeks to increase in wisdom and worship through her writing.

Book preview

a pocketbook of

wry

B. GERMAIN

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Copyright © 2023 B. Germain.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the author except in the case

of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author

and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of

the information contained in this book and in some cases, names

of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-4124-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-4125-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023905668

Archway Publishing rev. date: 04/12/2023

Foreword

B. Germain has this rare faculty to give life to her emotions through poetic personification. Through her poems, we meet Order, Anger, Perspective, and Time. All these personified notions play roles in the author’s writings like real characters.

She juggles different structures and poetic styles to give movement to her deepest thoughts and her sincerest hopes as well as her faith, her rage, her anger, and her suffering. Some poems are harsh, others are sweet in their subtle rhythm as well as in their message. This book is a tale, a ballad, an ode to life, and sometimes a satire, a complaint, a melancholy. The poems depict the author’s growth as a woman through the opposition of concrete and abstract notions; the choice of words; the talented use of alliterations, synonyms, homonyms, and antonyms; the changing of style from one poem to another; and the rhythm and breaks in the poems themselves.

B. Germain’s particular style of writing breathes life into her words and characters. Carried away by this wave of respiration, we can feel her contradictions, her questions, her fears, her disillusions, her joys, her hopes, and certainly her faith. B. Germain loves words immensely. She pauses to find the right consonance, the perfect alliteration, the correct meaning, and the beauty in each word.

Opening this book is a path to the awesome universe of an extraordinary woman! She has convictions and strong beliefs; she is most of all open-minded and so curious about life. Always progressing is her motto; becoming a better self is her credo. What she gives us in this book is definitively a gift of a grown poetess.

Madame Karine Lapierre

Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1     Handles

1.    Blue Moon

2.    Can You Use a Hand?

3.    My Dolls

4.    Every Little Girl

5.    Weepy on Wednesdays

6.    Free Fall

7.    Circle That Square

8.    One Job

9.    Black Market