Reviews

Lust by Diana Raab

moirwyn's review

4.0

WHERE ELSE

where else but in art

can you let your fantasies blossom

and dreams flower–

nowhere.

Lust is the fourth book of poetry by Diana Raab. The book explores the emotional and physical intimacy of love, painting brief pictures of private moments shared between individuals and the complex feelings that they evoke.

As in most collections of poems or short stories, some words seemed to leap off the page, while others fell flat. Part of the beauty of reading a collection of work is that it gives readers a glimpse of some of the different things an author is capable of, and it gives the author a chance to experiment with different styles of writing. The poems that I disliked were the ones that tried too hard to rhyme, which constrained the emotional message and made them seem trite.

But enough of that. Most of the poems in this collection were fantastic. On to the ones that I loved most!

What Women Want

This poem blew me away. It describes a man at a bar who asks the narrator what she wants in a man, and her response as she realizes that she doesn’t want material goods, just love. Oh, and an espresso machine. Woman after my own heart!

Thank You

This theme of learning to accept oneself after recovering from breast cancer is a thee that runs through several of the poems in the collection, and Raab presents it in a powerful and compelling way. In this poem, a woman who survived breast cancer has an intimate encounter in the shower with a man. She expects him to judge her or stare or become disconcerted by the fact that she’s had a mastectomy, but is instead awed and overwhelmed by the fact that he accepts her as she is with no questions asked. The fact that he doesn’t judge her and that the two of the get past the initial awkward moment and begin to enjoy each other is a major turn-on for the narrator and makes her feel empowered.

Sexual Revolution & Evolution

In “Sexual Revolution & Evolution,” an older woman reflects on her life and the way that her relationship has changed over the years. In the past, her sex life was complicated by young children and responsibilities. Now that her children are grown and she finally has the time, she is old, and there is Viagra on the nightstand. What struck me about this poem was the feeling of continued love and appreciation as the years went by, even though the couple’s youth has faded away, and the realization that every moment has been cherished.

I would recommend reading Lust if you are in the mood for some sensual poetry. Pour yourself a glass of wine or a cup of tea, curl up under a soft blanket, and sink into the beauty and heartache that Diana Raab’s words portray.