The Beautifully Haunting Poetry of Jeanne Lohmann

Jeanne Lohmann was a poet known for her introspective and moving poetry that often explored themes of nature, time, and loss. Her work has captivated readers with its beauty and poignancy, drawing them into a world of sorrow and reflection.

Life and Background

Jeanne Lohmann was born in 1923 in Nebraska and grew up in rural Iowa. She later moved to California, where she worked as a teacher and librarian. Lohmann's poetry career began late in life, but she quickly gained recognition for her lyrical and evocative poems.

Themes in Jeanne Lohmann's Poetry

Lohmann's poetry is often meditative and philosophical, exploring themes of time, memory, and transience. Her poems often evoke a sense of mortality and the passage of time, as well as a deep connection to nature.

Example Poems by Jeanne Lohmann

"Time Does Not Bring Relief"

Time does not bring relief; you all have lied
who told me time would ease me of my pain!
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;

The old snows melt from every mountain-side,
And last year's leaves are brown where on the branches *lain*;
The north wind powders on the cactus-spine;
The tides creep out again --

That year is dead; they seem
Not so scornful, cold and hardened-they
Whose eyes regard me now, whom I regard.
They are not wounded with the old *fire*;


My heart is cold within me; I am worn
*As* a beat dissatisfied with *every* *stone*.


"In the Yellow Woods"

Where flows my river now, I never knew
And yet I know its tide toward the west
I know it fills my heart with light, with dew,
And floods my empty brain with sleep and rest.

I know its banks, its driftwood, pods, and flower
And the old smooth stones grown over with green moss
I know the deep where tiger-lilies tower
And the swift narrow where the minnows *cross*.

"Under the October Moon"

There was always something in the sky--the moon
was the just the moon, and shadows belled

Around our feet. Who could have known, or sensed
anything but cold? Now the night
comes near; we climb our separate ladders
And our windows light.

Jeanne Lohmann's poetry continues to resonate with readers for its profound and intimate exploration of human emotion and the natural world. Her poetry invites readers to reflect on their own experiences of loss and longing, and serves as a reminder of the beauty and fragility of life.