A review by jayisreading
Ephemera by Sierra DeMulder

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.5

DeMulder’s collection of poems beautifully explores the intimacies and complexities of life in ways that I did not expect. I really enjoyed how descriptive her poems were in ways that made them uniquely personal and touching. The title of this collection is something to bear in mind, which is that the numerous moments in life we experience can feel like a collection of ephemera, so much so that it brings attention to the fragility of it all. There is as much warmth and tenderness in these poems as there are bittersweet and heartbreaking, which I found incredibly evocative. There are a few different themes that DeMulder explores in her poems, but family—particularly the process of building one (i.e., pregnancy)—is central to this collection. I think many of these poems will resonate strongly with folks who are also working towards building (or already have) a family of their own.

The lyricism in this collection is stunning, and I especially liked that it didn’t lean into excessively florid language. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that these poems are simple, but they’re definitely approachable while still revealing to the reader the beauty of poetry.

Some favorites: “Waiting,” “Driving through Pennsylvania in Autumn,” “If She Were an Animal,” “Who Made the Music?,” “The Day I Told You I’ve Moved On,” “How to Change the Pronouns in Your Love Poems,” “Labels Matter,” “The Day of Your Proposal,” “Eating a Grapefruit,” and “42 Years”
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