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Barefoot and Running

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Must read 🏆

Lyrical, moving, profound. In a few short poems a journey takes place, not only physically, but in the interiors of the mind.

I read a lot of poetry. Some of it is to decide whether or not it should appear in a publication or has been posted in a group that I help administer. Best of all is when I read for the pure pleasure of it. Barefoot and Running combines business with pleasure, and for that, I am exceedingly grateful. Several times while reading I stopped in amazement at not only what I read, but how it was written. Brava!


This is a lyrical, thoughtful journey not only to a place but also within the interior life of the poet. Free verse is used in different manners; there is no monotony here. Neither is there any filler. Each of the poems in this short collection is well-chosen and integral to the complete work. Upon finishing, I was left with wanting to read more by the poet.


The concept of "place" is very important to me, and I gravitated toward that in this book. Even if I had never been to Colorado, I would have felt that I had been there when I read these poems.

A few examples of what I mean by the above follow. From "Part 1: Leaving", the poet takes out a roadmap and spreads it over the dashboard:


"My finger traces Colorado. I move west through blank cornfield roads
then mountains and forest." and
"I speed
through smoky towns, past every dirty gas station
across the state line - the line between me
and my inherited sadness."


And the interior journey from the title poem, recalling her great-grandmother:


"Now my heritage is a dead language.
There is no Rosetta Stone for the unrest written in my bones.
My breath begs question. I invent words she would say."


This is a book to read, reflect on it, and return to it again and again, to enjoy the writing, and to travel to the places contained in it. I feel guilty about having read it for free! If you only purchase a limited amount of poetry books, please make sure this on it on your list.

Reviewed by

Poet/writer with four books and two in collaboration with artist Carol Worthington-Levy. My first novel, "The Botleys of Beaumont County" appeared on Blurb in 2020 Literary fiction piece set in the Southeastern USA around 2008. https://reedsy.com/discovery/user/arthurturfa/submissions

This is where I leave you.

About the author

Morgan Liphart’s contemporary poetry has appeared in anthologies and journals across the United States and England, such as the University of Oxford’s Literary Imagination and The Comstock Review. Her work reflects on experiences that she believes can connect us all, no matter our differences. view profile

Published on March 23, 2021

Published by

4000 words

Genre: Poetry

Reviewed by