Forbidden Words: Poems

“It wasn’t the words that killed, it
Was the wilderness between the words,
Like the wilderness of God,
The catch of breath beyond a prayer,
The wait, the long way home
From candle’s gleam.”
From “The Words”

Forbidden Words, Patricia Traxler’s third book of poetry, explores the weight of unspoken thoughts and the emotional consequences that they may have. Her poems erupt from the prairies and farms of the Midwest, and in them she seeks refuge from the tumultuous storms of spiritual doubt, love, and loss.

In her longer poems, such as “The Wife Talks in Her Sleep” and “The Lunatic’s Ball,” Traxler examines the relationship of silence to the language of women. Her crisp, shorter poems like “Lullaby” and “How I Got This Way” offer insight into the growth of spirituality and childhood in a Midwestern town.

Those fascinated with the power of language and the challenge of faith will find Traxler’s poems a captivating read.