Jeanie Greensfelder’s new book of poetry invites readers to see the world as she feels it.
Time Traveler is a lesson in perspective. The work spans more than 80 years, dipping into moments of joy, love, and vulnerability from every stage of her life.
Throughout this collection, we see the world change with the changing times. Perhaps more importantly, we see the world change through the eyes of a changing person.
Greensfelder works with shifting scale. The self is both great and small in the same way that the world had once been.”
Greensfelder’s reflections on her past demonstrate her young self’s understanding, or at times misunderstanding, of the scale of the world. The commonplace is grandiose—sometimes even monstrous.
In “First Visit to a Department Store,” elevators are “rows of cages” and “being pressed to a woman’s fur is coming face to face with a fox.”
However, while the concrete details of young Greensfelder’s world are made larger and more frightening through a child’s eyes, the ideas that rule our adult lives are made small and simple.
Happiness is shopping for penny candy. Hardships are rainy days and chores.
Greensfelder does not simplify childhood as a time before certainty. Rather, the poems about her childhood ring with a conviction that dissipates as the collection proceeds.
In the final section of this collection, “Going Forward,” Greensfelder’s perspective flips. As she grows older, she becomes increasingly certain of the world around her—finding peace in nature and observing the changes in her surroundings. However, she finds doubt in herself.
Once again, Greensfelder works with shifting scale. The self is both great and small in the same way that the world had once been.
Amidst the doubt, Greensfelder finds joy and clarity in reflection.”
In “Encores,” she imagines herself as a performer with unfolding dramas and acquaintances playing “walk-on roles.” Yet in “Seeking My Body’s Director,” Greensfelder ends the poem with “I value the show produced– / though I’m only a bit player, / each day I rise to think I’m the star.”
One of the most compelling dynamics at play here is the simultaneous self-deprecation and pride displayed in the latter section of the book. This comes through in the most frequent alteration of the self seen in this collection: multiplication.
In several poems, Greensfelder imagines many versions of herself at different ages. They live within her body and outside of it, and they are often confused and confounded by the limitations of age.
However, Greensfelder also recognizes the insight that her “time traveling” has brought her. After discussing her difficulties searching for identity and self-actualization, she writes “Now, with the wisdom attributed to age, / I have a self that smiles at this journey.”
Amidst the doubt, Greensfelder finds joy and clarity in reflection.
Time Traveler is thoughtful and intimate. It serves as both a memoir and a creative exploration. Her writing is candid, detailed, and sincere. With open arms, Greensfelder welcomes readers into her time travel machine.
Editor’s Note: You can hear Jeanie Greensfelder read from Time Traveler (Penciled In, 2025, available from Volumes of Pleasure in Los Osos and online) on Saturday, January 24 at 2 p.m. in the SLO Library Community Room in downtown San Luis Obispo. Read her poem “Time Travel” here.