Corner of My Mind

Corner of My Mind contains perhaps the most personal of Jim Freeman's poems. "e;I'd like to know you naked, so I could better understand you dressed / Clothes get between us, hiding what's behind your eyes and mine,"e; he says in a poem named Tulsa. These lines perfectly reflect the tone of a collection that exposes the writer's mind, revealing far more than nakedness could. Freeman's love poems are lyrical without the sugar coating. They honestly look at love as a permeating force in relationships with women, friends, or his favorite city. Prague provides more than the backdrop to his writing and a chance to explore the lives of strangers, as in Guardianship, where we observe an elderly couple on a tram. The cobblestone streets of this ancient city are a physical manifestation of probing the quiet and secret corners of one's own mind. Several poems mark the complicated beginnings of Freeman's relationship with his wife Michaela, then still "e;dancing to womanhood"e;. His words "e;It might be a journey longer than I knew"e; in Flowered Fields seem almost prophetic as the free-thinking muse who possesses "e;an ancient spirit"e; became his companion over the past two decades. Corner of My Mind provides an intimate look at the motivations and habits of a writer, at friendships, past loves that never fade, life in an expat community and connections to people across continents and time zones. "e;There's a corner of my mind you own"e; the opening line of the title poem suggests your invitation to a shared journey.