Words Between Darkness and Light is not the typical book of poems you peruse and then store on a shelf. Through the years, I find myself astonished at their radiant beauty and wisdom, reaching again and again for them through seasons and cycles within the human soul and Nature. Una’s poems are a prescient road map for the heart; its journey of joy and sorrow, wandering and wondering, remembering and reaching – the perceptive passion and power of a soul pilgrimage — Words Between Darkness and Light is a book not to leaf through but to live through. May you walk its pages with your heart.
Patricia Kaminski
Flowers That Heal
I have known and treasured Una’s poems for many years. They have taken me to heights and depths, to places hidden in the soul, to moments of humor, wonder, illumination, empathy, self-realization. They are beautifully written and without affectation. This book is a gift!
Kathleen Fenton
Editor & Waldorf Teacher
Una Kobrin takes delight in the physical world with luxurious descriptions of all that she sets her eyes on. Her poems invite the reader to share in that pleasure and partake in the sly playfulness at work in her writing. “Awakened” opens with this seemingly matter-of-fact assertion: “I’m being watched/ The wide-open eye of the moon/sees through my filmy curtain…” Kobrin reaches beyond the physical world as she contemplates its marriage to the spiritual, whether she is evoking the Sabbath or conjuring in imaginative detail the two grandmothers she never met, readers are bound to enjoy accompanying this contemplative and lively poet in her quest.
Paula Friedman
Undreaming Landscapes
Una’s poems draw vivid images of our human potentials and possibilities. They are an invitation to slow down and reimagine our personal relationship with Nature.
Renee Wade
The Living Earth Handbook
Una Kobrin’s poems have been created from an inspired place, full of rich, beautiful imagery and a depth of feeling and insight. Her nature poems are extraordinary, the work of an experienced gardener and mystic, immersing us in a world of enchantment and wonder. Her poems are subtle, with often unexpected perspectives, that reward multiple readings; a book to savor, like a fine wine.
Ralph Dranow
At Work on the Garments of Refuge
Una Kobrin’s poems — let the reality outside ourselves open up what’s great within. The gift is her unique voice, a blend of sensuality, beauty, and regular transcendental leaps that leave one in the pleasant grip of wonder. —
Eliot Schain
The Distant Sound
Una Kobrin’s nature poetry marries clear perception with insightful introspection. For example, her Madia poem demonstrates a very “exact sensory imagination” (to use Goethe’s term). The poem is a masterful integration of soulful images with clear observations that stay true to the actual phenomena of the plant, and true to her own inner experience. Through her skillfully wrought words, we are schooled in the artistic perception of the time-body of this plant, as it weaves through its diurnal cycle of closing and opening in response to the sun’s movement. Then we are invited to re-create the Madia process as an inner centering experience. For those of us living in a culture of constant distraction and externalization, this is true soul medicine.
Richard Katz
Flower Essence Society
With tenderness and humor, Una Kobrin’s poems explore how the universe is contained in the smallest beings and experiences. This collection is a reminder to wake up to the wonder inherent in every moment, whether the moment is difficult, fleeting, sorrowful, exultant or mundane.
Deborah K. Steinberg, Editor
Rivet: The Journal of Writing That Risks