Poetry

Arithmetic

and other verses from late in life

By Zakariya, Sally

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Short and spare, Zakariya’s poems often carry a sting at the end. Drawing her subjects from the minutiae of daily life and the particularities of nature, she uncovers in ordinary experience hidden meaning that is at once universal and highly personal. A visit to the ophthalmologist prompts a meditation on the limits of vision (“Eye Doctor”). The felling of a neighbor’s tree (“Stump”), the imprint of autumn leaves on the pavement (“Leaving”), the shadows of pines on a frozen lake (“Snow”)— these and other deceptively simple poems become reflections on the cycle of life. But there is nothing maudlin here: Zakariya’s is a mature voice that, while tinged with melancholy, is leavened with a wry humor.

Category: Poetry
ISBN (softcover): 978-1-935238-59-1
e-ISBN: 978-1-63464-029-9
Author: Zakariya, Sally

A magical melding of the cold analytics of science and the lyricism of poetry, Sally Zakariya’s highly original collection of poems is at once lively and somber, playful and profound. Her work is conversational, the poet confiding in the reader like a dear friend. Then, amid these confidences, she’ll toss off beautiful macabre metaphors that startle: “you flattened like a penny on the track.” Or again “you left your exoskeleton in bed last night.” The poet’s persona is clearly a woman of a certain age looking back, sometimes with regret. Yet, taken as a whole, the poet remains optimistic: “Now each day a chance for reclamation/taking back what’s lost while you still can.”

— C.W
How talented she is. I really appreciated her writing, very poignant verses. Expert weaving of different time dimensions into a cohesive and telling whole.

— A.P.
Vivid and sensitive, yet humorous.

— M.P.S.
Zakariya's poems are smart, profound, wry, universal, and easily accessible. The book would make a great gift.

— E.A.