Climbin' Jacob's Ladder: A Poetry Memoir

Not many poets achieve what Jacobs Reyes has been able to do in Climbin’ Jacob’s Ladder. In a genre yet to become mainstream, she intricately weaves together a number of traditional and contemporary poetic forms and styles drawn from several periods and cultures. She shares stories about life experiences across the Jamaican and North American landscapes, anchoring them in very distinct, nuanced language wrapped in internal monologue and dialogue. Hence, the work appeals to the casual reader who is simply interested in the beauty of words and enjoys the gratification the latter brings, as well as the dedicated scholar who is keen on exploring the art of poetry. In three chapters, Jacobs Reyes presents wonder as a trope. Chapter one evokes the beauty of wonder, and chapters 11 and 111, examine and celebrate the wonder of being, and the wonder of relationships, respectively. Life is presented as a reaching for, a striving for, and a climbing towards a goal, an ambition, a dream. And at times that dream is presented as being personal; at other times it is across generations, and may even be a feature of a larger community.