A Literary Review by Dana

Mudlark: An Electronic Journal
Mudlark No. 38 (2009)
Feat. Susan Kelly-DeWitt The Limbo Suite

I have to admit that I have never actually sat down, before this weekend that is, and read a literary journal from cover to cover. I was definitely exposed to them, Readers Digest and The New Yorker were always present on our coffee table, but I was always too busy teaching my imaginary class how to draw. When looking for a literary journal, I knew I needed to choose one that was online, not only because the Health Center discouraged me from going in public, but also because the internet and digital world mark my generation. It was through a google search that I stumbled upon Mudlark: An Electronic Journal.

The 38th issue of the Mudlark features five poems by Susan Kelly-DeWitt. The first titled, “The Limbo Suite,” is a poem in 20 parts. It is a series of poems that all reflect on a nursing home, its patients, doctors, visitors, and most specifically the author’s mother. The second poem, “Nurse,” recognizes the gratitude one feels towards the person caring for the one you love. “Doll,” “Elegy,” and “July Sunset” all reflect on the author’s emotions whilst her mother fades away before her very eyes. All together, I find the collection of poems featured in Mudlark to be deeply moving. One can travel through the experience the author had after her mother’s diagnosis and consequential transfer into a nursing home and feel her confusion and sorrow.

Part of the appeal of these works lies in how relatable they are. I believe most at our age have witnessed someone they love slipping away due to some horrible disease, whether old or young. Kelly-DeWitt’s poems convey these feelings of loss in a beautiful way. She uses simple sentences to create vivid details that allow the reader to picture the unfolding scene perfectly. For instance:

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Sunshine after weeks of torrential
rain Lola notices brakes

her usable foot
just watches

out the double glass doors
A good day

Kelly-DeWitt conveys a moment of clarity her mother is experiencing, simply by describing her acknowledgment of a sunny day after many of rain. However, contrasting these softer poems, lie jagged ones, short and simple. They are harsh and to the point. Here is an example of one:

§

Anna Philip Lu
Kao George all
vanished all

in a single week
No more

limbo for them

This poem is one chapter in the series of 20, but it marks a moment in Kelly-DeWitt’s experience that stood out to her. A moment where she realized her mother would have the same fate; that all those in the nursing home would soon disappear as well.

Every edition of Mudlark focuses on a single poet like Kelly-DeWitt. I find this beneficial to the reader for a few reasons. It allows one to develop a stronger relationship to the content of the poems and to study that author’s technique in poetry writing. In a sense, I feel I have built a relationship with Kelly-DeWitt, which is something I would not have accomplished had I read a larger literary journal with a multitude of poets and writing styles.