One Moment One Memory One Motion

This is a poetic memoir, from Deb Simpson and Piney D Press.

Review by Matthew Watts, Murfreesboro, TN

This is an incredible collection of poetry. Its subject matter is as serious as its writing is accessible. One Moment, One Memory, One Motion tells Deb’s story of living through and recovering from sexual abuse.


There is no need for fantastic circumstance or obscure literary reference; the events and emotions conveyed carry more than enough power. She has no need for pretense or literary cryptology. What she does is spin memory and pure emotion into a tapestry as clearly seen, intricate, and unique as the illustrations on almost every
page of the book.

While the collection is about overcoming sexual abuse, not every poem is one of hurt and pain. Poems such as “Mama’s Face” and “Pink Place” are sweet and peaceful, recollections of the sorts of places we all hopefully have. “Pendulum of the King” reasserts the kind of faith it takes to make it through adversity, whether it be that of abuse or simply despair.

One Moment, One Memory, One Motion goes further than exploring pain and hardship, extending back to recovery. Indeed, while the collection as a whole was quite well done, I found the most inspired work to be that concerning overcoming the past. Perhaps it is the more universal nature of these poems that I find appealing. The entire collection inspires feeling, but poems like the aforementioned “Pendulum of the King” and “Reclaiming and Renaming” are applicable to my own life.

In short, One Moment, One Memory, One Motion is a superbly written and powerfully felt collection of poems. While the subject matter may mean that it’s not a book for everyone, it is an incredibly enlightening book for those willing to give it a chance.

Matthew Watts, Murfreesboro, TN