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Quiet Lantern, Poems by Cindy Rinne
Cindy Rinne presents a story of family, loss, artifacts, and renewal in
Quiet Lantern. Set in Hue, Vietnam, this story weaves the ancient past with
the present to create a world where souls travel, gods speak, and children
play. The tale transpires over the three periods of Tet (Vietnamese New
Year) and takes young Mai Ly on a quest that on a quest that visits
various sites from antiquity. The strong images and brevity of Cindy's
style encourage the reader to contemplate each poem along the way. But
there is one who wants to stop Mai Ly, and Tran family secrets are
revealed. "Another wandering spirit/is too bitter and/lonely."
"When Cindy Rinne wandered into a local Salvation Army, she had no idea that the purchase of three silk garments would come to be known as ao dai--the traditional Vietnamese tunics worn by women--or that it would manifest the elegant tale that is Quiet Lantern. As every society possess some belief in the transcendental nature of soul, so does Quiet Lantern unveil its delicate tale of culture and tradition--a novel in verse of ritual, respect and revelation. Here, the poet artfully integrates the lyric quality of Vietnamese spirituality and the theory of three souls--each carried in the destiny of its ancestors, or in the case of Quiet Lantern, in the careful hands of its protagonist. Man Ly finds herself charged with the duty of safeguarding her brother's spirit to the afterlife. Part story, part song, each scene contributes to the diorama which finds its textures in the details of the poet's deft hand: 'Dampness cloaked her,/Binh gliding past,/basil, mint/piled high/in his wooden cart for market./Steam drifting on the River/of Perfume/like a boiling pot/of noodles.' We travel in the confident spirit-boat of Rinne's words for as long sa the wind will carry us."--Lois P. Jones
"Quiet Lantern is at once delicate and fierce, a mesmerizing journey into a world of loss and spirit-boats, shrapnel and rice. Cindy Rinne is a lyrical and inventive writer; her words will glow inside your bones."--Gayle Brandeis
Cindy Rinne creates art and writes in San Bernardino, CA. She is the
author of spider with wings (Jamii Publishing) and Speaking Through
Sediment with Michael Cooper (ELJ Publications). Her poem, “Mapping”
was nominated for the Liakoura Award by Pirene’s Fountain. Cindy is a
founding member of PoetrIE, an Inland Empire based literary community and
an Editor for “Tin Cannon” by PoetrIE. Her poetry appeared or is
forthcoming in Indiana Voice Journal, Snapdragon: A Journal of Art &
Healing, Naugatuck River Review, Zoomoozophone, Eternal Haunted
Summer, The Wayfarer, and others. www.fiberverse.com
ISBN-13: 978-1625491763, 116 pages, $19