A passionate meditation on love and relationships…
Trovato delivers a moving ode to a lover’s memory in his reflective latest. Divided into four parts, the collection delves into the essence of loving relationships. Devotion and enduring love are rendered in their full complexity in “An Apparition.” “Truly Tranquil” vibrates with the admiration that comes with being desperately in love with someone. In the collection, one notices the faithful devotion of a star-crossed lover: “Her perfections were/ legion each of them/ treasures to behold/ whether gifts of birth/ or self-earned through/ discipline or determination.” There is also an inherent playfulness; in “Oh So Gently,” Trovato writes: “In the midst of/ a conversation/ she would often / reach out to touch/ my face oh so gently/ entrancing me with/ her unabashed sincerity.” In “Yesterday Moments,” Trovato verges on the sentimental, but he does so to express poignant feelings of nostalgia and melancholy. He ably combines love and melancholy in “My Failure” as he writes: Her love/ was offered/ as a child/ might/ express it/ honestly/ obviously/ and repeatedly/ despite/ my failure/ to recognize the depths/ of her/ unequaled/ sincerity.” Constructed on the similar lines, “Abruptly,” “A Finality,” and “Unrecoverable” are equally melancholic. Trovato draws a relentless portrayal of romantic relationship and all its related attendant anxieties and insecurities. The nostalgic “Not Nows” explores hauntings of memory and grief: “Give me then/ not nows/ to deal with/ beautiful befores.” “A Belief” is a meditation on love. Characterized by love, longing, pain, and melancholy, the collection elevates the everyday experiences of being in love into something sacred and magical. Filled with depth, insight, and delight, the book makes for a page-turner.
Loving: A Memoir
By Jon Trovato
Pub date June 16, 2021
ISBN 979-8517482563
Price $12.00 (USD) Paperback