Wolf Woman & Other Poems

By Jo-Ann Vega

The author of the stunning memoir, Moments in Flight [2021], returns with Wolf Woman & Other Poems, a curated collection of 50 poems written over 50 years that span the seasons of a woman’s life. Jo-Ann Vega’s perspective is fresh, provocative, inspirational, and captivating. Each word portrait draws readers into a powerful connection between the author’s thoughts, feelings, and words.

The collection’s distinctive organization groups poems by life stage and includes a brief preview of each section. Influenced by Sylvia Plath and the confessional prose-style of expression, Vega writes about the light and the dark sides of life, of being a woman of substance in a world still largely hostile to women’s talents and ambitions.

“What was I to do? I wasn’t like the women I knew or worked with, nor was I like my female family members… caregiving was not a natural strength or primary source of identity…No matter which way I turned, if I was to be true to my core being, I had to venture beyond traditional boundaries of gender and culture. It is always going to be a challenging journey for an independent woman with perspective who happens to be gay…I hope my musings provide some nourishment to you on your continuing journey toward wholeness and integrity... Awake to the life-affirming possibilities within waiting to be discovered.”

Savor the musings of a long time explorer of the depths in search of meaning, identity, understanding and connection.

Special features: Wolf Woman & Other Poems is a companion book to Moments in Flight, A Memoir*. Wolf Woman presents fifty poems, none repeated from Moments in Flight. They were written over a half century, from 1970-2020, and are divided into three sections. The three sections represent the stages of a woman’s life, from young maiden to crone, and illustrate Vega’s awareness of self and movement through issues, challenges, and phases of the life cycle.
Part 1: becoming/discovery - 1970-1980 - rites of passage;
Part 2: unfurling my wings - 1980-2000 - taking risks
Part 3: awakenings - 2000-2020 - cronehood.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Mar 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781977254092

Jo-Ann Vega

JO-ANN VEGA, a devotee of journaling and an always aspiring wolf woman, lives with her life partner and canine companion.

Book preview

Wolf Woman and Other Poems

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2022 Jo-Ann Vega

v3.0

This is a work of poeticized fiction. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-9772-5409-2

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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Contents

Part 1: becoming/discovery 1970-1980 rites of passage

I feel as though

The Gap

After several hours of falling snow

This past weekend

Once again

Do you possibly know?

When I left you last night

I wanted you last night

I heard a song

Woman child

You have read more into me

The words flow faster

In complete innocence

It’s Saturday afternoon

The sun is setting

Judas

My pulse quickens

Revenge

You confront me

We grew up together

I sat and watched

Many came to watch the performance

Part 2: unfurling my wings 1980-2000 taking risks

Premature death

For almost half a century

It’s hard to imagine

I figured out the source of my tension headaches

It seemed as though the weather was conspiring

You were a private man

You’ve been gone a year

Knowing you’ll look for hidden meanings

Grandfather

The Christmas Angel

Golden anniversary

A gift from my heart

Part 3: awakenings 2000-2020 cronehood

I finally understand

How do I hold onto the intensity of the learnings?

I don’t hate you

Wolf Woman

I want to break out

I’m not going to take the bait

It’s all starting to sink in

Let me offer a few words

Sitting at the bar

Waiting for the call

Damn you

Full Circle

Musings

Then & Now

Twenty years ago

Coping

Wolf Woman & Other Poems

Writing breaks open the vaults of the dead and the skies behind which the prophesying angels hide.

—The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

Dear Reader:

When I first took pen to paper in high school in an attempt to understand the despair I felt over the loss of my future, I had no idea of the crucial contribution writing would make to my life, or that I would stick with it. I can still hear one of my mother’s favorite descriptions of me: You start out like a house on fire and then fizzle out! Going to work, writing for a living, and the demands of relationship and family in my working years shifted my writing from confessional prose poetry to journaling—a natural transition. Four-plus decades later, I’m still writing. I have a record. A past; my personal history in which to seek refuge and to nurture, to corroborate, and sometimes to challenge my interpretations of me, others, and events.

I love language—its many manifestations and power. I consider myself an artist with words. Interesting, since I didn’t come to language easily. One of my mother’s sisters was so concerned that I was grunting at age three, she pressed my mom to get me tested to learn what was wrong. Curiously, not long after, I started to speak. I’ve been