Review by Michelle McEwen
SWEETWATER, SALTWATER
by Rosie King
Hummingbird Press
2299 Mattison Lane
Santa Cruz, CA
95062-1821
ISBN: 978-0-9792567-0-7
94 pp., $12.00
www.skyhighway.com
Sweetwater, Saltwater, Rosie King’s first book of poems, is not only a baptizing of fine-crafted poetry, it is a baptizing of nature and exploration; it’s a nod, too, to the times when teachers were superstars and when one could play outside until dark—coming home worn-out and drenched in outside smell. From the beginning (the book’s cover is an image of a girl and the author playing in water), we are emerged immediately—even before opening the book—into the poet’s sweetwater, saltwater world.
In “Midsummer Homecoming,” the first poem, that word “homecoming” tugs at you, warning you that you’ve been missing something. Aptly placed in the book, this poem hints that this is not just a book of poems, it is a homecoming back to nature and exploration—back to the root of life. “It was the summer of the landing on the moon,” begins the poem. What better way than this to say, let the exploring begin.
