View from the Middle of the Road by Lucinda Clark, R. Xavier Clark and Silvana Marconi
Reviewed by Realistic Poetry International

View from the Middle of the Road is a brief but meaningful collaboration between writers and poets Lucinda Clark, R. Xavier Clark and Silvana Marconi. View, I found to be a commentary on many facets we must appreciate in life, but is not unaware of the bitter struggles we may face, either. Whether they make us feel ambitious or helpless when we meet them eye to eye is a matter of both chance and choice. The poems and stories on the surface are gentle, though they also carry wounds without shame or fear. The trio’s writing is all-too-relevant, knowing these days there seems to be anotherheavy turmoil always on the horizon that didn’t have to become. When it seemsimpossible to fight it with action, there are always words.

“[...]Cause the soul of a poet
Never leaves this earth as long as her, Her words are down on paper
And she shares them.”
-from “To Rock the Mic Again”

The three writers’ chapbook is a blend of the most complex emotions. Admiration,humility, and respect are not so easy to convey. On the dangerous end, neither are the miseries brought by greed, intolerance and violence.
The Clarks and Marconi are very clear that if it takes an act of evil to achieve something,it definitely is not a goal worth achieving. It’s a virus and will only end badly for both sides. Understanding and escaping its palm are both antidotes, but it takes a great deal of bravery to do either.

“They say that when someone has descended and returned from Hell, they are committed to fulfilling some kind of mission. My mission is to tell about my stay in thatinfernal place.”
-from “I Survived”

View from the Middle of the Road is a varied collection. I’ll admit it’s a bit short, but itevokes a lasting impression and never lets its anxieties get the better of it, choosing instead to be optimistic and appreciative always. A wise choice indeed.