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Praise for Held Inside the Folds of Time

“Held Inside the Folds of Time by Merril D. Smith is a luminous collection of poetry that invites readers to journey through the layered terrain of memory, identity, and time. With vivid imagery and lyrical precision, Smith weaves personal reflection with cultural and historical insight, revealing how the past clings to the present in quiet, powerful ways.

From the intimate to the universal, these poems explore themes of loss, belonging, and resilience. Pieces like “Horses” and “How I Learned” meditate on the permanence of memory and the invisible threads linking past and future. “To America” and “Filling the Void” delve into the immigrant experience, while “Thanksgiving, the Year of Covid-19” captures the emotional toll of a fractured world.

Nature becomes a recurring symbol—ephemeral yet grounding—in poems such as “Daylilies,” “The Hiccups of Stars,” and “The Power of Gravity and Light,” which reflect on beauty, decay, and renewal. Through family portraits, wartime elegies, and cosmic musings, Smith uncovers the quiet forces that shape who we are.

Profound and intimate, Held Inside the Folds of Time is a moving exploration of what it means to remember, to belong, and to find meaning in the ever-turning cycles of life.”

–Jane Cornwell

“If I have one criticism, it’s that this gorgeous collection ended too soon, as I would happily spend many ‘folds of time’ reading Merril’s rich and evocative words!”

–Samantha Terrell (From the Forward)

Sample Poem from Held Inside the Folds of Time

Frosted Rose

Watch how

the frosted rose

smiles bravely at the world,

lip-sticked mouth in a powdered, fragile face

murmurs softly,

still here.

I’ve seen her. Women in shops, on streets, in care homes, on TV. My

mother.

Perhaps someday, me.

(First published in Frazzled Lit)

© Merril D. Smith

Kindle (also available in Hardcover)

Author Biography

Merril D. Smith is a Pushcart and Best of the Net-nominated poet. Her work has been published widely in poetry journals and anthologies. Her full-length poetry collection, River Ghosts (Nightingale & Sparrow Press) was Black Bough Poetry’s December 2022 Book of the Month. Her second collection Held Inside the Folds of Time, was published by Jane’s Studio Press in 2025. She holds a Ph.D. in American history from Temple University and is the author/editor of many academic and reference books on sex, gender, and history. She lives with her husband in southern New Jersey near the Delaware River. Find her at Bluesky: @merrildsmith.bsky.social;  Instagram: mdsmithnj  Blog: merrildsmith.org