In the North: Poetry

In this remarkable collection--the author's first--Bogin shows grace, certitude, and noble acceptance of life's demands and rewards. Her imagery is disciplined and vivid, communicated in vocabulary and phrasing that are simple yet rich. One of her best poems commemorates the loss of a child: "how pure this absence is,/flaming up gold,/ these wings, these ashes . . . / The little brooks carry you away,/ as if you were substantial,/ as if there were a river/ that could contain you." Whether she is meditating on the soul "with its burden of radiance" or describing the healing tenacity of the heather plant, "the relentless dark blooms/sinking their roots/ into the stone," the amplitude and strength of the poet's vision are evident. Bogin's work, like the wild heather, shows character. Highly recommended.- Frank Lepkowski, Oak land Univ . Lib . , Rochester, Mich.Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.