The Only Proof

Nancy Lubarsky’s poems are a tender pleasure to read. Beginning in a childhood colored by “Shindig,” “Candid Camera,” and more haunting threads, many explore a woman’s interior and exterior lives as she and those around her age. Even those early times are tinged with an aching darkness that may be the legacy of a “faulty gene” from her emigrant Polish grandfather that affects the poetic narrator’s mother’s and sister’s mental health. The complicated relationship with this sister, and her tragic loss, are heartbreaking, and years later the poet wonders if the bulletproof vest her son tries on for fun can “ever be long enough, thick enough, shield him enough?” from what life holds. In the last section, on trips to foreign lands—Italy, Panama, Vietnam--strong family love continues to hold its objects tight. Despite the fact that “decline is inevitable,” the poet asserts her strength: “I still plant, I still feed. /My act of faith…” She leaves us with respect and compassion for all our lives.

– Donna Baier Stein, Publisher, Tiferet Journal and Author, The Silver Baron's Wife

Nancy Lubarsky's debut poetry collection The Only Proof is one of those rare books of poems impossible not to read in one sitting. This book reads like a fast paced novel. The poems are immediate and engaging and her subject range is vast. That arc includes such diverse subjects as complex sibling relationships, skydiving, the loss of a parent, DNA legacy, the intricacies of school closings due to snow (Lubarsky is also a Superintendent of Schools), 9/11, the loss of a cherished pet, and the fragility of love. The poems about her sister remain among the most heart wrenching in this collection. But the voice of Nancy Lubarsky, despite her subject invariably, contains a wisdom and authenticity always present along with her candor, clarity, and her staccato specificity that evoke a vividness that is especially appealing. The Only Proof is ultimately about the force of love on all our relationships. A dazzling debut!

– Laura Boss, author of Flashlight (Guernica Editions), founder and editor of Lips

The Only Proof by Nancy Lubarsky is a deeply focused collection filled with skillfully crafted language and rich imagery. Lubarsky’s is a commanding lyric voice that draws on a strong aesthetic sensibility and rises naturally from the backdrop of language. Truly fine writing and the genuineness of Lubarsky’s message are powered by attention to detail, rhythmical deftness, and strong sonic impression. This poet has mastered the ability to move from description to revelation in poems that explore memory and meaning in an elegant, meditative, and intelligent style. These poems do not assume spirituality; rather, they track it through the intensities of everyday life. This is a book to be read and re-read – an affirmation that the “only proof” we need is love.

– Adele Kenny, Poetry Editor, Tiferet Journal