Vigil
Ellen Lord
Modern History Press (2025)
ISBN: 979-8896560753
Reviewed by Dawn Colclasure for Reader Views (12/2025)
When reading the poetry book Vigil by Ellen Lord, memories of lost loved ones are brought to life. Loved ones no longer in this world are honored, with their final days lovingly captured in lyrical verse. These poems are bound to make readers cry, feel inspired, and appreciate the gifts of nature and our natural world.
To read the poems in this book is to be swept away into the author’s private world. We read poems about her life and the people she knew. There are poems about her writing life as well as those of her dreams and desires. She lingers over memories of brothers no longer in this world and cherishes the memories of her late husband.
The poems about her late husband – “my Harley man” – were heartbreaking. Lines such as
I tell the story of our last day, an ordinary grey Friday, how he rallied the night before—then sunk back behind his eyes.”
from the poem “After” (page 24), andI thought he would have one more ride on that Sportster but there it sits. Mud on the fender. Low on gas. It’s parked by two
other darlings—a 98’ Wide Glide and a 76’ Shovel. My Harley man. His garage—my lonely.
from the poem “Motorcycles For Sale: Best Offer” (page 25)
These really tugged at my heart. I didn’t know this man she loved and cherished, but in a way, I got to know a bit about him in the way he is brought to life with these poems. Readers feel compelled to feel that same grief she has over her loss and to share these quiet moments of remembering him.
It’s not just her brothers and husband who are written about in this book, though. She writes of another person lost – a matriarch who “floats among the tombstones.”
I loved how she brought nature to life in such an eloquent way. Her passages through the ice and snow were brought to life through her words, and I could almost behold the wondrous sights in nature which she writes of in this book: “Beech trees silvered in moonlight—tender murmur of the river’s song..” (page 7).
Readers are treated to a glimpse of the author’s younger years in the poem “Bulletproof Youth,” where she writes:
I was the girl
with dash & dare eyes
never worried
about secrets
behind closed doors (page 6)
And even still, here, in this book, there is no worry about secrets. She lays bare her thoughts and her feelings in these poems, inviting readers to know and understand her through verse. She balks at the idea of journaling about her dreams in one poem, then shares a dream of a cabin she and her husband once owned, how she waits for him at the gate, even though in real life, he is not there to join her.
Vigil by Ellen Lord is a captivating, emotional collection of poems that takes readers through a world of grief, nature, and love. These poems are so well written, drawing the reader in with beautiful verse and powerful prose.
