""Firefly!"" is a collection of poems Ms. Lavalle has accumulated over many years. The poems have been living in plastic bins, and desk drawers, and as the author notes ""sometimes even in my soul, lying silently in my heart of hearts."" In a way they are a reflection of her life, becoming an autobiography of sorts. The poem subjects go from warm, comforting verses to exciting, thrilling constructions of poetic inspirations, to sad moving commentaries on life's travails. This volume succeeds in bringing her poetry into the sunlight.
We point the reader to the book's introduction, Ms. Lavalle telling of her inspirations and the origin of her ideas and who and what influenced her. There is no particular sequence in the book, but each verse stands alone, having made its point or established its message, all the while treating the viewer to a smorgasbord of ideas and stories, some loud and others just a whisper; still others farcical by nature, as in . . .
My June 2023 UNbirthday So for my birthday I made a cake But the wishes made were an utter fake! Cuz when we looked all over and around, For love or money, no candles were found.
The poems depict a range of emotions, touching on music, love, sadness, family, forgotten life experiences; fragments from overheard conversations, amazingly recovered from her insatiable memory. The book includes poems that will likely elicit any number of feelings depending on the reader's sensitivities. One in particular tells of her accident while crossing a City street, ""June 12, 1991."" Sure to stimulate our memory chords is ""The Carousel Of Forgotten Dreams."" Included are several lighthearted verses directed at the young at heart, texts that will pique the memories of all, adults and children alike. These include ""Asparagus,"" ""Barley and Beans"" and ""Lolly Pop.""
Ms. Lavalle is an avid Afro-Cuban drummer and that vocation has led her to embrace the world of latin music. This talent is evident in several poems that are drawn from her experiences performing with musicians on the professional circuit. One in particular, ""El Bongosero"" includes a memorial to a drummer since passed and his grandson Jos
, and a more personal verse, ""Drums On My Ceiling."" As a librarian in New York City she has been exposed to a wide cross-section of the populace, from the poor to the wealthy and this has given her the vision to write poems like ""We Are The City"" and ""Park Avenue Mansion, Number 515.""
Jackie writes of her experience working in a Cleveland steel plant (in 1974 Jackie was the first woman to be hired since World War II) is dramatically depicted with ""Night Shift in Cleveland"" and the heart-breaking saga of a young Black man's tragic death is captured in ""Tyre Nichols.""
Mother Nature makes a lilting appearance in ""An Ant,"" ""Autumn,"" ""Summer,"" ""Dandelions"" and ""Palm Trees."" With summer on the horizon comes a Spring exchange as two women gaze out their kitchen window in ""Rosie's Cardinal-
A Conversation in Milford.""
For the bar scene, ""An Ode To Two Unfinished Glasses of Guiness"" and ""In The Main There's Champagne""; racetrack cognoscenti can relate to ""Comin' Round The Bend"" and ""Try Your Luck At Saratoga Or Do You Know Where Your Horse Was Last Night?"" Romantics will enjoy ""Rosarita Beach.""
And finally, Jackie tells a true fish story, replete with nostalgia and friendship:
""Carpetti from Lake Erie"" Carpetti was carp who lived in old Lake Erie; And every summer night he'd swim the lake to see me. One day while he was swimming, he met the ideal mate. Now with love he's brimming and doesn't need a date.
Of course the books' namesake ""Firefly, Firefly"" is charming in its own right. The book includes interesting text about the life of fireflies, colorful insects that have no doubt been a part of our childhood beginnings.
