Heartsick Poems from 2021

In the summer of 2021, it looked like we might be out of the woods. Then the pandemic made a comeback, and plans were reconsidered. As the year wore on, the coming winter took on an even more ominous presence, especially in northern Wisconsin where the author lives. Then her husband underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery, adding a long recovery to the year's woes. In this collection of poignant poems, Jan Chronister weaves darkness and light, keeps her eyes on the sun as a symbol of hope and healing for a sick heart. "Heartsickby Jan Chronister holds poems from the year past, which was of course in the grips of the COVID pandemic. Chronister, in a sure-footed and understated way, with "death, always on my mind," because of Covid and also her and her husband' advancing age, explores small losses (travel to warm beaches that had to be postponed) and large ones ("Family and friends / (who) die without funerals). Although imbued with solemnity, the collection as a whole balances the difficult with the sweetness of ordinary, everyday life with its pleasures––making homemade salsa with homegrown tomatoes, reading oneself to sleep; sunshine through stained glass that "creates rainbows on rugs." The poet's voice is particularly creative and lovely when describing flowers." Margaret Haase, Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets' chapbook contest judge Jan Chronister is the author of four previous chapbooks and two full-length collections. She is widely published in online and print journals and anthologies. She has been recognized twice by the Wisconsin Library Association for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry. She has won awards in contests sponsored by the League of Minnesota Poets, the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, TallGrass Writers Guild, Lake Superior Writers, Highland Park Poetry, and the Emberlight Festival. She lives in the woods near Maple, Wisconsin with her husband.