A Frostbitten Memory of a Stillborn Spring by Lindy Kennedy

In her debut collection of poetry, A Frostbitten Memory of a Stillborn Spring, Lindy Kennedy shows an admirable talent for describing life’s vicissitudes with sensitivity.

Kennedy expresses in the introduction her intention to capture “eternal pairs” – highs and lows, beginnings and ends – reflected in the book’s three sections: People and Love, Things and Time, and Places and Ambition. Kennedy uses a clever turn of phrase when she’s at her best, as in “Where Are You?” which wryly asks, “If it’s over, where did ‘it’ go?” There is the quiet exhortation in the aptly titled “Life Lived Leaves Marks,” to “ask for a life peppered with scars of wisdom,” and a sage observation in “Which One Are You?” that the wolf and rabbit, though enemies, are equally agile.

At times, Kennedy veers towards cliché – “Shooting stars aren’t meant to last” – but overall there is wisdom in her lyrical wordplay about a range of human emotions and experiences, even when it is a short, spare sentence, such as her invitation to “Come Back: This Is For You,” stating simply, “Nothing feels as natural.”

Though the titles of the book’s three sections are themselves evocative, the poems don’t necessarily reflect these themes except in the most abstract manner. Of course, this is part of the subtle meaning of each poem, but at times these chosen themes are less visceral than were perhaps intended. However, Kennedy is capable of producing precious gems of phrasing that prove her poetic gifts throughout this collection.