What is the source of poetry? From what spring does language flow? These questions are as old as cave paintings or the stories told around a communal fire...Like sparks rising on the warm air, Gergana's poems illuminate the night sky, becoming stars that arc toward God. In ancient times the communal fire was a place of safety and sharing, and in this poetry one feels the connection and affirms, as the 14th century mystic Julian of Norwich wrote, "All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." Gergana's poetry is not just beautiful language or insightful metaphor. It is more. It comes from her soul's journey of hope and longing, and reaches depths that leave one feeling both quietly human, and vibrantly eternal. Perhaps this is the heart of poetry: the extension of the human spirit into the vast unknown, where all knowing, all being is formed.
Poetry is the story of journey, of exploration. As T. S. Eliot wrote, "We shall not cease from exploration." As we explore sometimes in the valley of the shadows, sometimes on the high peaks of joy, we sing, we write, we dance. Gergana knows this and sings, writes, dances. Her soul is a spark circling up from the human fire. It is light burning in the night sky, joining the countless lights that show the way home...Gergana's poetry gives dignity to our struggles and helps us walk into the heavens without fear. Her words gladden my heart.
Revered Russell O'Neal Clay
West End Poetry Press, New York City
from preface to "Here's To You"