“Sandra Proto's newest collection is a tribute to her mother. Proto's language is gorgeous, spare and exquisite. These poems, woven with haiku, are a tapestry of loss, motherhood, chardonnay sedation, affirmation and transformation.”
-Vicki Iorio, Author of Poems from the Dirty Couch Review for Spring's Tepid Breath
"Sandra Proto’s, “Spring’s Tepid Breath,” fluidly and seamlessly carried the reader from life, death, grief and healing. It is well crafted work...a poetic memoir."
-Jacqueline Pitts Author of The Children of Wasafa: A Message to Gang Bangers
"In Spring’s Tepid Breath, Sandra Proto has traced the path of two stories. One is the story of her mother’s life. The other traces her own journey in dealing with that life’s end. Like two intertwining melodies in counterpoint, Proto’s poetry, words and images bring those stories together.”
-Dan Guarino, Author of Images of America: Broad Channel
Spring's Tepid Breath by Sandra Proto is a collection of poems based on the poet's life experiences, journeys, and emotions. The poems take you on the poet's inner journey of self realization and exploration. Many poems in the books are written for her mother after her mother's death. Those poems reveal a longing and love that the poet feels for her. The style of writing is classy and neat. The minimalist structure gives a depth to the words and the emotions that the poet is trying to convey to the reader.
'Vera Lynn Douglas' is a poem dedicated to her mother. It speaks about the simplicity of a woman who dreamed but adjusted happily to what life offered her. 'After we came back' is another moving poem where the poet reminisces about the loss of her parents. The emotions portrayed are not over-dramatic. They reveal the inner strength of the writer who has accepted life for what it is and her decision to make peace with it. Some of the poems are written in the haiku/senryu style; short, stark but profound. It gives a feeling of being in that particular moment.
I liked the collection for various reasons. The poet has portrayed the emotions in a convincing way using the minimalist approach. The words convey an inner turmoil and a sense of loss very effectively. The poems from the beginning to the last one are tied in together to give that feeling of being connected with each other which gives a continuity while reading.
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
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