Single Woman by Dell Lemmon

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By Lynette Esposito

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In the Mudfish Individual Poet Series number 10, Dell Lemmon presents Single Woman, a collection of confessional style poems using images from everyday living to represent a lifestyle and a life.

The 105 page paperback is divided into five parts.  The poems range in subject matter to include dogs, cats, dolphins and the sewers of Paris from the viewpoint of a woman revisiting her perspective of her own life and the suggestion of how others evaluate her.

The poems are mostly free verse using images the narrator chooses from locations and situations such as when she babysat in France to when her mother died and she inherited her coats.  The use of everyday language is appealing and the clarity of presentation helps the reader appreciate how symbolic daily incidents can be.

In her poem, Yankee Candle, Lemmon explores the usually dreaded doctor’s appointment where one faces an honest truth about one’s body.

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          At my bi-annual doctor’s check-up, my doctor told me only a few more

          Ponds and I would officially be obese.

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She proceeds in the poem to detail weight gain and the why of it.  The poem has more a sense of rebellion rather than resignation as she speaks of pecan pie.

The poems are conversational in nature as if the narrator is not only talking to herself but also to the reader.   In her poem, Congratulate Yourself, she talks about the things you promise yourself when you were child:  I wanted to live without lying…I wanted to live without hurting other people.  She addresses the issue of failing.

If you like poems that border on prose and images that suggest complexity through simplicity, this is an enjoyable poetry collection .

 You can find the book here: Single Woman

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Lynette G. Esposito has been an Adjunct Professor at Rowan University,  Burlington County and Camden County Colleges. She has taught creative writing and conducted workshops in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  Mrs. Esposito holds a BA in English from the University of Illinois and an MA in Creative Writing and English Literature from Rutgers University.

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