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Excerpt from ‘The Weight of Snow: New and Selected Poems’ from Black Swift Press

by bribruceproductions

The Weight of Snow is alive with style and filled with beautiful, nostalgic imagery. Bruce’s free verse poetry is rich with detail, and her evocative language will stay with you long after reading this collection. Deeply introspective and profoundly insightful, each new poem displays great thematic range and literary sensibility. I have no doubt that Bruce will be a strong and important voice for modern poetry.
                                                                       – J. Rodriguez

A poignant and beautiful story of a life, experiences, memories, and pain. Ms. Bruce is truly a gifted poet and one need only read the first poem to understand her talent and what this book holds. I highly recommend The Weight of Snow for how it touches, reveals, and informs and for its beautiful simplicity.
                                                                        – K. Heartsong

* The following poems are excerpts from the book The Weight of Snow: New & Selected Poems by B. L. Bruce, c. 2014

ENDINGS

In the waning darkness,
the southern valley wide,
mountains violet with distance:
white snowfields cut between low fences
and rows of poplars, their leaves now shaken away.

I think only of spring, tiring of the way winter
erases everything, covers all with the wisdom of endings—
the songs of the river silenced, snow-veiled trees unmoving—
the heaviness of nothing.

From behind the thin curtains at the window,
I hear the pines breaking.

*   *   *

CLIMBING NORTH MOUNTAIN IN SPRING

Sonata of the mockingbirds
from the high limbs of the poplar,
the curtains shift;
petals are loosened
from the tangle of bougainvillea vine,
are pulled to the earth
in a brilliant snow of tangerine and magenta.

I go north,
the noise too unsettling,
climb small Sugarloaf Mountain to
wander through redwoods,
the valley hidden in mist.

For now, only the quiet words
of the wind, hum of cicadas;
thoughts of you like mountain streams,
unending.


* This poem first appeared in The Wayfarer, 2013

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Excerpt from The Weight of Snow: New & Selected Poems by B. L. Bruce
c. Black Swift Press, 2014

AVAILABLE AT AMAZON  and BARNES & NOBLE
eBook and Paperback

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37 thoughts on “Excerpt from ‘The Weight of Snow: New and Selected Poems’ from Black Swift Press”

      1. I most certainly will. I admire anyone who has published work. Not an easy task. Enjoy your success.

  6. Very nice and I’m rarely impressed by poetry online these days. Your poetry reminds me a bit of Marvin Bell’s, who often wrote about nature and possessed a voice similar to yours. He taught at Iowa a million years ago when I was applying to schools for my MFA (and yes, Iowa rejected me…and rightly so). Wonderful poet. Are you familiar with his work? I think I may just invest in the whole book, if the rest of it is anything like what you’ve shared here. I particularly liked “Endings.” Phrases like “mountains violet with distance” and “covers all with the wisdom of endings” will stay with me. Congratulations – and I hope the book is a success!

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for stopping by! I actually have not heard of Marvin Bell but will have to go Google him 🙂 Thank you so much for the kind words. If you’ve enjoyed my posts, I encourage you to take a look at my new book, “The Weight of Snow,” now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

      http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Snow-New-Selected-Poems/dp/0991450310/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391562247&sr=1-1&keywords=the+weight+of+snow
      http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-weight-of-snow-b-l-bruce/1118461000?ean=2940148189459

      Reply

  9. I felt that Endings was about the mountains outside my window; the ones overlooking Goose Lake Valley; the ones glowing purple from winter evening sunsets. Lovely, very lovely.

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for your compliments 🙂 If you’ve enjoyed the poems I’ve posted so far, I encourage you to read further. My book, “The Weight of Snow,” is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, OmniLit, and iTunes! It is coming soon to Google Play and Kobo.

      http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Snow-New-Selected-Poems/dp/0991450310/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391562247&sr=1-1&keywords=the+weight+of+snow
      http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-weight-of-snow-b-l-bruce/1118461000?ean=2940148189459
      https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theweightofsnownewselectedpoems-1418553-244.html

      Reply

    1. Thank you! And thanks for stopping by 🙂 If you’ve enjoyed the poems I’ve posted so far, I encourage you to read further. My book, “The Weight of Snow,” is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, OmniLit, and iTunes! It is coming soon to Google Play and Kobo.

      http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Snow-New-Selected-Poems/dp/0991450310/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391562247&sr=1-1&keywords=the+weight+of+snow
      http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-weight-of-snow-b-l-bruce/1118461000?ean=2940148189459
      https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theweightofsnownewselectedpoems-1418553-244.html

      Reply

  11. “mountains violet with distance”.. It felt as though I blinked and when I opened my eyes I was back in a country where there’s winter. Winter makes me so sad. Thank you for transporting me to another time and place.

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂 If you’ve enjoyed my posts so far, I encourage you to read further. My book, “The Weight of Snow,” is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, OmniLit, Google Play and iTunes!

      http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Snow-New-Selected-Poems/dp/0991450310/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391562247&sr=1-1&keywords=the+weight+of+snow
      http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-weight-of-snow-b-l-bruce/1118461000?ean=2940148189459
      http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-weight-of-snow
      https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theweightofsnownewselectedpoems-1418553-244.html

      Reply

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂 If you’ve enjoyed my posts so far, I encourage you to read further. My book, “The Weight of Snow,” is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, OmniLit, Google Play and iTunes!

      http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Snow-New-Selected-Poems/dp/0991450310/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391562247&sr=1-1&keywords=the+weight+of+snow
      http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-weight-of-snow-b-l-bruce/1118461000?ean=2940148189459
      http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-weight-of-snow
      https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theweightofsnownewselectedpoems-1418553-244.html

      Reply

    1. Thank you so, so much! 🙂 If you’ve enjoyed my excerpt posts so far, I encourage you to read further. My book, “The Weight of Snow,” is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, OmniLit, Google Play and iTunes!

      http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Snow-New-Selected-Poems/dp/0991450310/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391562247&sr=1-1&keywords=the+weight+of+snow
      http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-weight-of-snow-b-l-bruce/1118461000?ean=2940148189459
      http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-weight-of-snow
      https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theweightofsnownewselectedpoems-1418553-244.html

      Reply

  14. Those excerpts left me with the impression of a painting rather than a poem. Your style has a very classic feel to it. Great work! 🙂

    If I have not stopped by to say thank you for following my work, as well, I should have. Thank you.

    -JT

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂 If you’ve enjoyed my posts so far, I encourage you to read further. My book, “The Weight of Snow,” is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, OmniLit, Google Play and iTunes!

      http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Snow-New-Selected-Poems/dp/0991450310/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391562247&sr=1-1&keywords=the+weight+of+snow
      http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-weight-of-snow-b-l-bruce/1118461000?ean=2940148189459
      http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-weight-of-snow
      https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theweightofsnownewselectedpoems-1418553-244.html

      Reply

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