Neolithic Imaginings: Mythic Explorations of the Unknown
Loralee Clark
Kelsay Books, 2026
ISBN: 979-8-90146-824-1
Ebook, 50 ppg.
For many people, a stone is just a stone. But for those who know better and understand the hidden stories and meanings behind certain stones, a whole new connection takes place. These are the stones we honor and protect, the ones we hold sacred, and the ones which have stories to tell and legacies buried deep within.
But you do not have to travel abroad to be able to observe, touch, and commune with these stones. Allow a poet with such understanding share these stories with you. In the poetry collection Neolithic Imaginings: Mythic Explorations of the Unknown by Loralee Clark, readers are presented with a variety of stone monuments and symbols both small and large. Interpret them as you will, but take a moment to consider Clark’s verse that explores their meanings, their depths, and their secrets.
The first poem, “Sacred Shape,” resonated with me. I understand that it’s talking about the ouroboros, the symbol of the snake eating itself. This symbol has always fascinated me, compelling me to set out on a search for its meaning. However, with this poem, it is used to compare it to other round shapes; a raindrop, our eyes, a ring. I like how the poem comes full circle at the end, using a much more significant symbol in comparison to this one.
The circle itself is a symbol that is often repeated in some of the other poems. One wonders about this significance. For me, I see it as representing things coming full circle, bound in a circle of strength. A stone that is shaped as a circle.
Many things of this world inspire poetry: People, places, events. Stones can also inspire poetry. Not just stones, but stones that are a part of something greater, such as natural monuments and something that is the result of humans or legends. Stonehenge, one of the many great monuments made of stone, is one such landmark. In this book, the poem “Stonehenge: Ecology of Flux” on page 22 pays tribute to those who created this monument. Of course they can’t be named; we do not yet know who exactly built Stonehenge. But we do know it was created by humans, and those are the ones honored in this poem. Here the author attempts to capture their reasoning for creating Stonehenge—“a tapestry of living”—as well as its purpose: “Settle our spirits/Ground us to place.” And, finally, how they seem to put all of themselves into its construction, ensuring that this lasting legacy of their existence will survive into a future they cannot be a part of:
“One tribe begins low, multioctave:
we mirror the stones
which mirror stars moving through our bodies,
our bodies moving through the air,
air through our mouths:
we become the stars.
Hear us sing
reverberating these stones”
The poems in this book are written so well, with heavy use of expository writing and lyrical narrative. Some of the writing in these poems tend to pull me right into them, where a chorus of verse so beautifully written and colorful words kept me within these passages. In the poem “Rollright, England: Extended Cognition” on page 24, for example, one can find this well-written stanza:
“We send our questions with the logs of pine, the black henbane
we send questions into the fire, inhaling smoke plumes
as trees and meadow read the stars’ maps embedded in our bones.
We lift and lay the slabs, our ladder to the stars,
healing and fortifying, energy flowing from the plants and smoke
through our chests into the stones, singing itself to sky.”
Our stories sing within those stones, too. The stones we are buried inside, those that stand watch over our graves, and those which we were a part of in creating something larger.
The author’s invitation to “Come gather to sing the songs of stone” awaits. Explore the poems in this book and embrace the singing of those songs of stone.
Five stars
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
