The Language of Paisley

In Deborah Gerrish's collected poems, The Language of Paisley, she begins with the moving story of her Armenian grandparents who came to America from Diyarbekir, Turkey just before the terrible Armenian genocide. Paisley, with its elaborate colorful patterns of intricate figures, becomes a vivid metaphor for her deep sense of the complexity of creativity, form, and poetic language. Throughout the collection, there are moments of grief and suffering as well as moments of joy and humor. In poem after poem, in her honoring of her family, her many moments of deep spirituality, her celebration of the natural world and her respect for poetry and the poet's struggle, her reverence for life shines through.