<p>&ldquo;Oasis&rdquo; is a refuge of comfort and safety, a plunge into beauty, a respite from toil. It can offer a pause for reflection on the journey; perhaps a time for Memories of &ldquo;Ice cream on a hot sidewalk where childhood skipped...&rdquo; This precious resource, Laura Williams-Chassot reveals is within. It is not kind, not necessarily gentle, with Memories of &ldquo;Healing pain that can&rsquo;t be fixed;&rdquo; but is nurturing. It is not always accessible. But it is there-or here. Even when the worst confronts us, our individual paths can lead us to an oasis of sustaining energy and insight.<br />
&nbsp; This volume of poetry forms a loosely sketched narrative, each work a way station on an autobiographical pilgrimage. Each element stands alone with its particular subject matter, structure, and vocabulary&mdash;not a series but a metaphorical possibility. The poet is a painter. The &shy;painting is a poem.<br />
&nbsp; But essentially Laura is the elusive trickster who engages simple &shy;observation as a mirror of paradoxical truths. A poet who enlists the reader as an ally while &ndash;&shy;reserving facets and riddles of understanding to be &shy;revealed in future encounters.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>