Clarion Review

Elsewhere

Dawson Cobb

".... A sculptor and short-story writer, Dawson Cobb uses her artist's eyes and storyteller's skills to write powerful free verse that appears in her eclectic but uneven collection, Elsewhere. ....

.... When a poet can combine inventive wordplay and imagery, he or she may craft an extraordinary poem that "speaks" to the reader on many levels. .... An example of Cobb's ability to shine in this regard is evident in her award-winning poem "Minato-Ku, Tokyo" and her humorous, intellectual piece, "The Bear. "Minato-Ku, Tokyo" is included in the first section of the collection, which Cobb has named "Strange Lands." .... The simplicity of this poem is misleading. Her descriptions go beyond the ordinary. Including herself in the poem does not intrude upon the story she is telling. She gives the reader her feelings and observations of how different the city looks in comparison to how it must have looked during World War II, but she also allows the city to speak for itself. She is able to sculpt the poem literally out of layers of time. ....

The fifth section of the collection, called "Make-Believe," contains innovative free verse such as that found in "The Bear." The first line begins: "Big Foot and I have coffee together when we can find a thermos...." The author tells a story from the point of a bear. The poem is constructed of imagery from prose and dialogue. It is a successful and original poem that makes readers laugh and think.

.... A poet like Cobb continues to hone her craft over the entirety of her lifetime. She receives inspiration from everything, the mundane as well as the divine. ...."