From prom & college acceptances to heartbreak and personal loss, Diana Haemer’s second book of poetry represents her life’s work. Sensing is an autobiographical journey that encapsulates the essences of nature, love, loss, and family exploring a variety of poetic styles (villanelles, sonnets, haikus, et al). Written over the span of six years, this book is a collection of moments: she details what it means to grow from the pressures of being a competitive figure skater into a self-assured young adult. She tells of her travels through time and space with a distinct honesty and openness, convincing readers of her truths in a soft yet beautiful way.
From prom & college acceptances to heartbreak and personal loss, Diana Haemer’s second book of poetry represents her life’s work. Sensing is an autobiographical journey that encapsulates the essences of nature, love, loss, and family exploring a variety of poetic styles (villanelles, sonnets, haikus, et al). Written over the span of six years, this book is a collection of moments: she details what it means to grow from the pressures of being a competitive figure skater into a self-assured young adult. She tells of her travels through time and space with a distinct honesty and openness, convincing readers of her truths in a soft yet beautiful way.
Snow
Sometimes I watch the cool white snow
Fall with smoothness and grace:
I have entered winter's embrace
Which rocks me to and fro.
Ode to a Mailbox
It stood there stoically
Engulfed in millions of snowflakes –
The peaceful white covering
Untouched for miles
In the life of winter
Snow fell in inches
Then yards
Then miles…
One at a time
Snowflakes headed towards the driveway
Greedily blanketing it
The inches I must walk
Are marathons to my amateur runner
When the flakes cease to fall
And the air slowly thaws,
I will bear another trip to you;
The agony of waiting
Is too much to bear –
What news do you hide, if any at all?
Mailbox, you hold the truth.
That Kind of Thunder
When you feel it rattling in your bones
When you sense its sound waves crashing on your horizon –
That makes your ears pop and ring until the next crack
That makes you instinctively shudder –
Where you cannot count until the gunshot’s arrival
Where your heart stops and the rhythms do not interfere.
Chemical Reaction of Burning Wood
The reactant was strolling by
And, suddenly stopping, let out a cry
“It is the phase change, that impish jester –
Could she not find another to pester?”
But alas, he was already dry
And the gleeful fire danced for the sky.
Halfway Heated
Mercury:
Ever double-sided, the sun
Rests on only half
Causing extremes
To unusually exist without
Causing problems,
Yet this harmony breeds no life.
Human Fault
In Orion’s belt
Stars are perfectly aligned
Mocking our talents
Backyard Oasis
Whispers of coolness
Pass across the shaded deck
In deep secrecy
LCL
The sweet iced tea sweats
Melting, evaporating
Up to join the clouds
Cherry blossoms
Sweet cherry blossoms
Moving softly in the wind
Causing much traffic
Other sections are called "Musings," "Growing Up," "Love," and "Heroes."
If you have ever wanted to give an ode to a mailbox, then Diana Haemer’s newest poetry book, Sensing, might be for you! This is Diana’s second poetry book; her first is The Sands of Time. Diana is a former figure skater, a student of science, and a literary fiend. When she is not writing poetry, she likes playing piano, knitting, baking, and figure skating.
Diana has organized her poems under five headings. They represent nature, musings, growing up, love, and heroes. The poems vary in style and length. The topics range from snow to the ocean, to solitude, tears, prom, the virus, puppy love, Gramma, and so much more.
Diana has chosen some unique topics to use as poems. For example, I have never discovered a poem about iced tea before. While this may seem like a fluff piece, I believe the lyrics are more meaningful than what they appear to be at the surface level. She also writes about things currently going on with our country, such as the racial division that runs rampant. She says in one poem, “Color merely serves As a process by which the world Has sorted us And who are we to care?”
One thing that I believe would have made this book more interesting, would be to include some illustrations, to enhance the reading of this book. I do not mean big, bold images. As an example, “Ode to Mailbox” could have had a doodle of a mailbox or just a sketch of one. Just something to represent the whole of the poem. Not every poem would need an image, as some would be hard to depict. As an example, “That Kind of Thunder.”
My favorite poem was “an ocean of endless wonder” as it transports me to the beach. However, it is not a light and fluffy piece, it is actually pretty deep. For example, “The darkness of the sandy floor And deepness of the wave troughs Frighten me with their mystery – Do I dare to venture into the unknown?” My second favorite was “Who I Am.” Diana explains exactly who she is, but you can feel the emotion behind the poem.
I recommend Sensing to anyone who enjoys poetry. It is a fairly quick read, depending on how long you chose to contemplate the meaning of each poem! There is not any profanity or objectionable content in Sensing. I believe it would be suitable from about high school age on up. It would be a great addition to any home, school, or public library.