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CoverFront-TransitionThunderstorms
Transition Thunderstorms - Image 2

Transition Thunderstorms

Rated 5.00 out of 5 based on 2 customer ratings
(2 customer reviews)

by Beth Bonness

Released on Apr 15, 2022
 
Purchase Here

 

 

SKU: 978-1-956285-07-9 Category: Poetry Collections

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  • Reviews (2)

Description

Transition Thunderstorms

by Beth Bonness

Finalist in The Poetry Box Chapbook Prize, 2021

All her life Beth Bonness tingled with the sight of approaching thunderstorms—watching them over the wide expanse of a lake or far away mountains—the electrifying steel blue background with the sun on her back reflecting an eerie Tuscan yellow light of a childhood-giggled “storm’s a coming” cast on unsuspecting trees and anything else between you and the rain, the thunder and lighting, and unexpected life events that soak you to the bone. The poems in Transition Thunderstorms are about life’s soaking you to the bone.

Check out Roxanne Colyer’s review of Beth’s book on the Oregon Poetry Association website

https://oregonpoets.org/transition-thunderstorms-by-beth-bonness-reviewed-by-roxanne-colyer/

Listen to Beth read a poem from the book, “Wrong Word Dinner”

https://thepoetrybox.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/wrong-word-dinner.m4a

ENJOY A VIDEO OF BETH READING FROM THE BOOK:

Beth Bonness — A Featured Poet on The Poetry Box LIVE (February 2022)

About the Author

AuthorPhoto-BethBonness(Sarah Eastlund)
cr. Sarah Eastlund

Beth Bonness grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the eldest of six girls. She moved to the Pacific Northwest with her Computer Science degree and her husband, where they raised their three daughters. She fell in love with the beach and enjoyed climbing Mt. Hood, once. After decades working in product development and marketing (and one too many acquisitions) she said “good-bye” to high-tech corporate culture…to write.

Her poems have appeared in The Timberline Review, Typehouse Magazine, and Friday’s on the Boulevard. Two of her short film scripts made it to the Willamette Writers FiLMLaB quarterfinals. She is currently working on a post-stroke memoir about saving a 100-year-old mansion with her husband, and a psychological thriller screenplay about sub-conscious personalities. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and writes early in the morning before she wakes up too much.

LinkedIn: Beth Bonness

Twitter: @BethBonness

Early Praise for Transition Thunderstorms:

You want to say “apple” and it comes out “orange.” Your hand has turned into a useless claw. You hope it has simply fallen asleep, but you suspect you are having a stroke. In Transition Thunderstorms, poet Beth Bonness takes us inside the stroke victim’s mind with poems playfully organized on the page to show how in the midst of a thunderstorm or a stroke, the normal rules do not apply. Her “thanksgiving with a side of no thank you” poems show the fear and frustration, the outer and inner struggles with rare honesty and clarity. These are spiced with side dishes about sneezes, nose piercing, love, and death to create a delicious feast for the reader.

—Sue Fagalde Lick, president, Oregon Poetry Association,
author of Gravel Road Ahead and The Widow at the Piano

Anyone who has had a stunning body-breakdown can relate to Beth Bonness’ exquisitely written journey into (and thru) the thunderstorms in her brain. Her words resonate with fierce beauty, angst and resilience.

—Anne Mendel, award-winning author of Etiquette for an Apocalypse

Beth Bonness writes from the depths of her soul’s experience. With the finesse of a true poet, she invites the seeker to the pinch point of their pain, then, having walked the path herself, coaxes the reader through to greater understanding and self-acceptance. With extraordinary alchemy, and a shared sense of empathy and relief, Bonness leaves the reader transformed.

Transition Thunderstorms offers breathtaking insights into life events we find hard to talk about with the people we love most. The book is a tender and honest lifeline to reconnection. Her poetry articulates truths of recovery with gentleness and compassion and resonates hope.

—Roxanne Colyer, award-winning artist, writer, and bio-energy healer

 

Book Trailer:

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Additional information

Weight 4 oz
Dimensions 5.5 × 8.5 × .2 in
ISBN

978-1-956285-07-9

Pages

48

Wholesale Channel(s)

INGRAM

Sample Poem

wrong word dinner

robe of white wraps around my recovering body
my husband and daughters’ dinner table chatter surrounds me
leftovers warm in the microwave
everyone’s smiling

today’s been a better day
blood pressure’s holding
read a bit of a book
sleep’s been okay

longer concentration than yesterday
journaled with less frustration…yet
my ‘o’s and ‘e’s and ‘a’s still collapse
deflated helium balloons in my cursive

the girls chatter on about their day
peppered with questions from dad
my private ping-pong game
keep up with their conversations

lean in for a question—
my lips part…
by the time a thought is firm
the girls are off to their next topic
…my lips close
forced smile intact

no reason to let them know
i’m having trouble keeping up
though they sense it…
when they ask me a question
their pace slows

B*E*E*P

husband’s chair scrapes and squeals on the floor
as he starts to rise i pop up before he does
wrapping my white robe sash tighter
the microwave door swings open

words in my head stand in line ready for their turn
only they get all mixed up when they come out
like someone at camp stopping abruptly
an entire line of words falling over each other

middle daughter points to an apple
i say orange
the word apple mute at the back of my brain
in the shadows
her buddy orange answers on apple’s behalf

youngest daughter points to her water glass
i say chair
my smile collapses
joined by their smiles weakening

…not again…
no evil snowflakes in my peripheral vision
this time
no hand claw
…only wrong words…

hunger disappears
adrenaline fills my belly
tears well up
don’t want the girls
to see me like this
—stop talking
then you won’t say the wrong word

slip away into the living room
lights off
laughter from moments earlier
disintegrates into murmurs

too much excitement
stay still for a bit
doctor’s orders
—meds and rest—
the house is quiet
—meds and rest—
tears fall onto my white robe
invisible
i don’t stop them
until i hear footsteps

my youngest crouches down
her hands on my knees
voice gentle

…mama
you know you have to go back to the hospital
don’t you…

her 15 year eyes
searching for recognition
in my almost 50 year ones

when did our roles reverse?
i shake my head yes

upstairs to change
with all my wrong words
mashing around in my head
unable to get out
in the order right

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2 reviews for Transition Thunderstorms

  1. Rated 5 out of 5

    Ebaker – January 13, 2022

    Bonness’ poignancy and honest reflections are raw and real. Can’t wait to read more and traverse the thunderstruck landscape.

  2. Rated 5 out of 5

    Tim Kellogg – April 25, 2022

    Beth has written an amazing book of poetry. One of the most powerful stories is her poem concerning the loss of her younger sister an early age. Beth’s other poems narrate past health challenges which will give hope to others who face their own.
    I highly recommend this book.

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