This is a review for Blown Into Now Poems For A Journey by Mylo Schaff which I received in exchange for this review.
When I opened the book and found out it was written for her son who passed I could feel myself slidding into her shoes. As well as thinking I should share this book with my friend Viva and also Sonya both who have buried there daughters this year.
As I read I noticed I was holding my breath and shaking my head reliving Suzzane’s death. I didn’t even know I was crying until Charlie walked up and asked me what was wrong. I said just things in this book are hard to read.
I went to get a drink and came back to sit down and the book was gone. I asked Charlie were Blown Into Now Poems For A Journey was. Charlie said you can not have the book back until David or I can sit down and read these Poems with you.
I didn’t say anything else and went back to work. When David came in that evening Charlie handed him the book and said we have to read this with mom. David said why and Charlie said its about a family whose son passed away.
There is sections in here that may trigger the nightmares mom has at times. David asked Charlie to point out what he didn’t think I should read and he choose “child in a funeral home.” Although, after reading there story I was able to share my thoughts and what happened with Suzzane that I’ve had bottled up inside for years.
As well as how much I miss my parents and not being allowed to do anything for my mom and dad when they passed away. Then I was able to talk to David about how scared I am about his dad and his failing health. Bringing us closer together.
I believe everyone should read Blown Into Now Poems For A Journey to deal with loss from the past or losses they may face in the future. I know these Poems are more for adults but children can learn from the Poems as well.
About the Book
Blown Into Now: Poems for a Journey carries the reader from deep sadness and loss to comfort and support, finally edging toward joy. Her melodic words become a guidebook, allowing those who grieve to witness a spectrum of responses, understand what might give relief, and know how to look for signposts and healing.
The 45 remarkable poems by Mylo Schaaf are paired with striking photographs by her mountaineer son, Alex Lowenstein, who passed on unexpectedly in his twenties. To those who must endure such shocking new reality, she brings compassion, beauty, and spiritual connection.
Her poems reveal a mother’s great heart and the love she shares with her son for granite peaks and untracked desert. Each photograph provides a pause from grief and allows us a glimpse of something we want and cannot name.
About
Mylo Schaaf trained as a journalist, editor, and physician, before taking a left turn into poetry. Before everything changed, she was a faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco, teaching and mentoring students in international, low-resource settings. Her commitment to global health grew out of her work and connection with India, the Americas, Liberia, Haiti, and China. Then one day, a shocking phone call collapsed this pursuit of engagement and action. Her 24-year-old son, a mountaineer/peace-and-conflict scholar/veteran, had passed away. Poems demanded to be written. They brought relief and healing, as did warm, grassy hills, tree spirits, and arms of sky. Years wandered past. Poems continue to emerge, as the tangles of our days slip into light.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
