Dark Leaves, Strange Light by Tom Raithel

Here is an important new voice in contemporary poetry.

–Matthew Graham, author of “World Without End”

Rating: *****  [5 of 5 Stars!]

“This is as deep into night as you’ll get.
This is as out on the edge as you’ll be.

Now the small fires of stars burn coldest,
and the owl intones its hollowest notes.”

When you read these words from a poem called “Solstice” you will have discovered the treasure in a small book entitled Dark Leaves, Strange Light by Tom Raithel… Certainly, the influence of everyone from Shakespeare through Robert Wrigley is noticeable in this fine body of work. Raithel uses these influences to create an imagistic world of his own greater than the sum of its parts. The poems are composed with grace and elegance and remind us that joy and tragedy combine to create great beauty. Do yourself a favor, read them. Read them again.
–Jim McGarrah, winner of the Eric Hoffer Award and author of “Breakfast at Denny’s.”

Tom Raithel’s poems… are not just about seasons, but about endurance and mindfulness. (They)… lead us from youthful exuberance through the easy and not-so-easy passages of our lives.
–Betsy Anderson, author of “Barefoot Passage” and “Night Fishing at Antibes” (Finishing Line Press)

Poems in Tom Raithel’s new collection, Dark Leaves, Strange Light, offer wise insights into… persistence and survival, dealing with both the dark and the light of our lives, and learning how to prepare ourselves when “we’ve come to a dead-end, blank-page stillness.” Here is an important and quiet new voice in the loud landscape of contemporary poetry.
–Matthew Graham, author of “World Without End”

Rating: *****  [5 of 5 Stars!]