Longing: Poems of a Life

by Merle Feld, Rachel Adler (Contributor)

What do we long for as we carry the traumas of our past and look into the future with guarded hope? In Poems of a Life , acclaimed poet Merle Feld tells her intensely personal story while naming profound human experience. Feld opens forbidden doors and long-shuttered windows, peering through the lattices of memory at moments of anguish, breaking, blessing, surviving. We accompany her through early family violence, isolation, the discovery of community and love; we witness her climb from the loss of possibility to the assertion of self-worth and purpose. Threading through the years are conversations with a mother long gone-"a slip of a girl" whose misplaced loyalty and endless capacity for loving are both cautionary tale and guidepost. Deeply Jewish yet universal, these gripping poems will stay with you.

Genres: Poetry

114 pages, Paperback

Published November 14, 2022

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many readers first encounter Merle Feld’s poetry in Reform and Conservative prayer books where it serves as part of the liturgy. However, while her latest book of poetry, “Longing: poems of a life” (Reform Jewish Publishing/CCAR Press), does feature some poems with religious themes, Feld also explores the course of her life from childhood to the difficulties she experiences while aging.
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/past...

[Margalit Jakob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend Feld’s “Longings” which was a sensual pleasure—the difficult topics notwithstanding. Her poetry rolls exquisitely off the tongue and her topics are intimately familiar. She explores the experience of feeling invisible as well as what makes a person feel safe. These issues resonated for me in particular and gave me much food for thought.

I have already re-read sections, and know that I will re-read the whole book.

[Ruth Ticktin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Longing" is a pleasure to read and soak in. Honest burning story-poems filled me with clear sights for hardy words. On page 53 I cried, "they're remembered...loving laughter...insatiable curiosity..."

[Ariella Louna · Rating 5 out of 5]

“in my memories / they live, continue to surprise, each memory an unfolding, a random / roll with butter and a thousand memories more — each memory / a proof text for blessing the One who resurrects the dead.”

[Erin Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When do you feel safe?
"I feel safe when I am seen."

I think I have a new favorite poet. Merle Feld wrote with honesty about childhood trauma, the complexities of family love, to beautifully capturing her friendships. Highly recommend.

[Ellen Wolintz-Fields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very powerful poems. Very personal poems

[Courtney Mosier Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feld is a rabbi. But somehow this feels just as holy of work. So human. So real.

[Lisa Feld · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are remarkable, vulnerable, powerful poems. Feld explores the darker aspects of her childhood home and their lingering effects on herself and her brother. She brings us into moments where her voice was silenced, and then the lifelong process of reclaiming agency, safety, joy, and hope. And finally, in the current era, reveals how she holds on to that hope, uses her voice, and keeps going.