From Despair to Hope and Healing: One Woman's Journey in Poem

by Barbara Mezera

Overview

From Despair to Hope and Healing is a collection of poetry written over two decades by author Barbara K. Mezera. It chronicles the journey of a woman struggling to keep her depression under control and searching for meaning in her job, her career, her family and her relationships. Although her verses are dark at times, there is always a glimmer of hope that someday she would fit in somewhere, make a difference in someone’s life, and find her own fulfillment and enjoyment. The poems are both personal and universal. Mezera hopes these poems will help others facing the same struggles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781640459274
Publisher:	Amelia Publishing Inc
Publication date:	11/28/2017
Pages:	170
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.39(d)

About the Author

Barbara K. Mezera was born in southwestern Wisconsin and grew up on a farm. She worked for over twenty in years in various hospitals and clinics as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist. When computers took over the laboratory and her depression was under control, she changed careers earning a master's degree in special education. For the past 15 years she has been teaching special needs students in rural Wisconsin. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, biking, reading, quilting, knitting and spending time with family and friends.

Editorial Reviews

2019-04-11
This debut poetry collection offers a sincere exploration of life's struggles and joys.

Mezera chronicles her own search for wisdom and peace in this promising first volume of poetry. She seems keenly aware of how that search relies on one's ability to care for one's body, mind, and spirit; hence, health—in its various manifestations—is an important throughline here. Her opening section (of seven) is titled "Wrestling with the Big D"—"D" for depression—and its poems detail her decadeslong pursuit of mental health. Throughout, she softens no edges while discussing depression's challenges; in "Soul Sickness," she writes: "Deep and dark it is, / Like swimming through quick sand. / Choking, disabling, suffocating. / Soul sickness, / All hope gone." These are dark truths, but readers will trust Mezera because they know that she's not pulling her punches. Another section, "Health Matters Too," focuses more narrowly on physical ailments, notably multiple sclerosis. She writes of the disease, which she struggles with, in a number of poems; none are as moving as "Scared": "Living scared / That is what I am doing. / Scared I'll lose my job, / Scared I'll lose my eyesight. / On a warm and sunny bike ride. / That is what MS does." Again, the poet's unpretentious confession is so affecting because it feels so real. Other sections deal with emotional or social health; one is titled "On Being Shy" and another, "Relationships." In both, the speakers chronicle their efforts to be at peace with themselves and others. They face numerous challenges but resolve to be grateful for other people; in "Thankful," for instance, Mezera writes, "Be thankful every day, / All day, / In every way. / Family, friends, acquaintances / Enemies too—they keep us honest. / Be thankful for them all." Readers can be thankful for Mezera's frank, stirring verse. It's accompanied by a small, tasteful collection of debut illustrator Lynes' black-and-white drawings, which match the writing in theme and tone and serve as appropriate accent pieces.

A poignant song of a hard-won hope.

Kirkus Reviews