I Want to Show You: Poems

Book excerpt: THROUGH POETRY, Jane Gilgun tells the story of one woman's life. Born in coastal Rhode Island, USA, Jane galloped Sadie Cummings, a race horse, on Narragansett Beach, tramped through the Spring Woods, and found beauty, mystery, and hurt in the people and events in her life. She shows how the themes of childhood weave themselves into her life as a horsewoman, a nature enthusiast, a woman in love, a social worker, a violence researcher, and a seeker of the spiritual. Written in imagist, lyric, and narrative styles, these poems convey the rhythms of a life fully lived--the sharp, sometimes painful intrusions of beauty, the transcendence of erotic love, the fears and intrigue of bodily changes, the horror of violence, and the warmth and comfort of everyday life.