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Forces: Poems
WORDS OF STRENGTH, PEACE, AND INSPIRATION FOR MILITARY FAMILIES—AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM!
Inspired by great works of visual art, writing, and sculpture—as well as small moments observed alongside her home-schooled daughter and beloved dog Seamus—poet and U.S. Marine Corps spouse Lisa Stice explores the invisible forces and frictions at work in our lives.
“Stice is a master of quiet revelation and connection,” says the publisher. “Her words illuminate how to find beauty, wonder, calm, and strength in a world that too often feels filled with ugliness and chaos.”
For example, in “Woman Holding a Balance,” Stice considers the image of Johannes Vermeer’s 1664 painting of the same name, revealing the grounded strength
behind healing gracethe salvation of forgivenesspromise and sacrifice
before weighedan equal measuredignity and decorum
within of generationsnurturing warmtha round-cheeked future
And, in “While Daddy’s at Training, Our Daughter Asks Questions”:
I don’t know how to explain 35,000 feet—all I can say is it’s very high—yes, far aboveour house and those trees, but no, not beyondthe moon or the stars—and how far are those?but I don’t know how to explain that either.
When will he be back?—so I count the days,point to them on the calendar—what is it likein the sky?—I say I know it’s cold and difficultto breathe, but I don’t know how to explain50 below or the partial pressure of oxygen.
She pretends to be an airplane—can I skydive?—and I say when you are much older, but I don’tknow if I’d want her to—she counts backwardsthen jumps her couple inches—and my heartrises before it falls back into place again.
Inspired by great works of visual art, writing, and sculpture—as well as small moments observed alongside her home-schooled daughter and beloved dog Seamus—poet and U.S. Marine Corps spouse Lisa Stice explores the invisible forces and frictions at work in our lives.
“Stice is a master of quiet revelation and connection,” says the publisher. “Her words illuminate how to find beauty, wonder, calm, and strength in a world that too often feels filled with ugliness and chaos.”
For example, in “Woman Holding a Balance,” Stice considers the image of Johannes Vermeer’s 1664 painting of the same name, revealing the grounded strength
behind healing gracethe salvation of forgivenesspromise and sacrifice
before weighedan equal measuredignity and decorum
within of generationsnurturing warmtha round-cheeked future
And, in “While Daddy’s at Training, Our Daughter Asks Questions”:
I don’t know how to explain 35,000 feet—all I can say is it’s very high—yes, far aboveour house and those trees, but no, not beyondthe moon or the stars—and how far are those?but I don’t know how to explain that either.
When will he be back?—so I count the days,point to them on the calendar—what is it likein the sky?—I say I know it’s cold and difficultto breathe, but I don’t know how to explain50 below or the partial pressure of oxygen.
She pretends to be an airplane—can I skydive?—and I say when you are much older, but I don’tknow if I’d want her to—she counts backwardsthen jumps her couple inches—and my heartrises before it falls back into place again.
140 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 7, 2021
About the author
Lisa Stice
12 books21 followersLisa Stice is a poet, literary activist, mother, military spouse, and the author of five full-length poetry collections, From Reluctant Earth (Fernwood Press, 2026), Letters from Conflict (Middle West Press, 2024), Forces (Middle West Press, 2021), Permanent Change of Station (Middle West Press, 2018) and Uniform (Aldrich Press, 2016), and a chapbook, Desert (Prolific Press, 2018). She is a Pushcart Prize nominee who volunteers as an assistant editor for Middle West Press and as a visual arts editor for Collateral Journal. She received a BA in English literature from Mesa State College (now Colorado Mesa University) and an MFA in creative writing and literary arts from the University of Alaska Anchorage. While it is difficult to say where home is, she currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, daughter and dog.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
February 16, 2022
These moments of isolated concentration become the mantra for the narrator as she struggles with the chaos of motherhood, military life, and more. Forces by Lisa Stice is an amazing collection that will provide you with a different perspective on the chaos of our lives, particularly when the unexpected keeps you on your toes.
Full review: https://savvyverseandwit.com/2022/03/...
Full review: https://savvyverseandwit.com/2022/03/...
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review