Librodidact

Today’s post brings you a book review! Specifically, a poetry collection.

In Robin LaMer Rahija’s debut poetry collection “Inside Out Egg,” we are jackknifed into the absurdity of beauty coexisting with banality, and saved by the hope of another snowfall. Her poetry balances the rebellion of Charles Bukowski with the undeceived clairvoyance of Margaret Atwood. 

The collective focus of this edition is honesty surrounding everyday life. Robin leverages veritas through sensual, unvarnished prose: “as though love/were a sourdough,/ dying then restarting,/ grown through being given away.” In “Quail Eggs at the Farmer’s Market,” she articulates hope with heart-rending clarity. Eggs “glowing/like Sassoferrato’s Madonnas,” are taken home to “pretend/I could create anything beautiful enough to be loved.” 

The forms leap between long and short, with “Breaking News” interrupting the flow in provocative irony. What appears simple invokes the paradox of a koan. In “Inside Out Egg,” we bear witness to the sacred and profane with equal attention, bringing to mind a Thích Nhất Hạnh quote: “There can be no lotus flower without the mud.”

I recommend this collection to all lovers of contemporary poetry, and look forward to seeing more excellent work by Robin LaMer Rahija in the future.

If you’d like to get a copy, this link will take you to the publisher’s page. They have a sliding scale that starts at $7. The book itself is a paperback, printed on creamy ivory paper with lovely black endpapers.

(And don’t forget, even if new books aren’t in your budget, you can always request them through your public library!)

☼