Ordinary Words

Ruth Stone writes poems about the real, never striking a pose, but simply recording the world with integrity and a keen eye. Her poems "in their desire, praise emptiness, spirit." Whether her poems consider sitting in a McDonald's listening to the conversations of those around her, living through the passions of motherhood or expressing the deepest human losses, the reader begins to feel part of the experience. There are always two forces pulling against each other in this work. In relation to this book, I will quote two lines from her first poem: "'Here,' says the Devil, / 'Eat. It's Paradise.'"