An Homage to Aeronwy Thomas

SHADOWS AND SHADES
(SELECTED POEMS)
Aeronwy Thomas

Aeronwy Thomas

SO THIS IS THE WAY

So this is the way
it’ll be after I’m gone.
They advertised my show
at the Boat House
in this way:
“Aeronwy Thomas as
Dylan Thomas’s daughter.”

And still they came
in their droves
to hear an actress
playing me -
what’s the difference -
packed into what
was my parents’ bedroom.

When I sat down to read SHADOWS and SHADES I found I did not stop reading until I turned the last page. Aeronwy dances with the shadows of her past and her father's spirit with grace, as in her poems: "THE SHADE" and "DYLAN’S DAUGHTER". To live, grow, and create in the shade of such talent is a daunting task. Aeronwy holds her own and her voice is a gentle, strong breeze that caresses you as you read. In her poems Aeronwy shows us her life as daughter, wife, mother, and poet, always poet. In poems: "CLEANING THE LOFT", "MISTAKE", "CROWDED" and "MOTHER/BROTHER" we are given enticing glimpses into to Aeronwy’s life. I hope you too will follow the map to her soul by reading each poem as it was meant to be, in a quiet room with a well-brewed cup of tea allowing her words to bathe you in their light, which pushes all shadows and shade away from the brilliance of her talent.

Tammy Nuzzo-MorganSuffolk County Poet Laureate
Founder/President of TNSPS
Long Island Sounds Editor