Chen Ou Liu's Review Of my poetry collection

Below is excerpted from my short review of Carole's forthcoming book, "Journeys: Getting Lost:"

In the poems, Carole Johnston shows a flair for tying emotions to arresting images and invites readers to become a fellow traveler.

time traveler
on the road with Basho
watching stars spin
fireflies disappearing
I fill my brush with ink

The thematic motifs explored in Journeys: Getting Lost remind me of the opening passage of Basho’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North, which is considered one of the most famous travelogues ever:

The moon and sun are eternal travelers. Even the years wander on. A lifetime adrift in a boat, or in old age leading a tired horse into the years, every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home. From the earliest times there have always been some who perished along the road. Still I have always been drawn by wind-blown clouds into dreams of a lifetime of wandering…