Some poems begin with a loss that refuses to remain private. In Words To The Rescue, Yvette Lamare uses poetry as a public appeal. A way to warn young people about dangerous choices, speak plainly about grief, and ask communities to treat one another with greater care.
The collection ranges across addiction, road safety, bullying, family life, war, prejudice, technology, and peace, with a recurring concern for the human cost of decisions made without thought for others.
Personal Loss Becomes a Purpose
The collection’s emotional centre lies in Lamare’s account of her younger sister, Bronwyn, who died in a drink-driving accident in 1992. Yvette had survived a similar accident in 1982. The contrast between survival and bereavement gave her a reason to speak openly about alcohol and the consequences that can follow a single reckless moment.
Her poem Alcohol emerged in 1994, carrying sorrow and a plea for change. In the preface, Lamare explains how reciting the piece to her daughter’s primary-school teacher encouraged her to write more. What began as an outlet for grief grew into an effort to reach readers, especially young people, before preventable harm enters their lives.
Plain Language, Urgent Subjects
Yvette does not treat poetry as something reserved for private reflection. Her verses address drink-driving, vaping, drug use, addiction, cyberbullying, domestic violence, depression, suicide, and peer pressure with the directness of a speaker who wants the message understood.
Rhyme, repetition, wordplay, and conversational phrasing give many poems the sound of spoken advice rather than distant commentary.
That direct approach is part of the book’s character. Yvette names everyday situations, messages sent online, pressure from friends, a driver reaching for a phone, and asks readers to consider the consequences. Her concern is not limited to individual conduct.
Poems about poverty, children, food, money, politicians, and war widen the frame to include the social conditions that shape people’s lives and the responsibilities shared by families, institutions, and leaders.
Memory, Heritage, and Peace
The book also makes room for tenderness and reflection. Poems about babies, childhood, funerals, grief, and forgiveness sit beside sharper warnings, reminding readers that life holds ordinary joys and losses that can change a family forever. For Bronwyn remembers a beloved sister as a daughter, mother, and lively presence, keeping her more than the circumstances of her death.
Yvette’s Māori whakapapa adds another strand to the collection. In her preface, she writes of her descent from Ngā Puhi and Eruera Maihi Patuone, a Māori leader known for advocating peace and coexistence. The closing piece on Patuone connects family history with the hope that people can choose diplomacy over conflict. This emphasis gives the collection a sense of responsibility that extends to future generations.
Words With a Purpose
Words To The Rescue is a varied, outspoken collection shaped by the belief that language can prompt reflection before a crisis arrives. Its poems do not hide their intentions: they seek to inform, caution, remember, and encourage. At their most personal, they preserve the memory of a sister. At their broadest, they ask readers to consider what kind of world their choices help create.
What Readers Take From the Collection
For readers who value poetry with a clear social purpose, Yvette Lamare’s collection offers a candid invitation to pause, think, and act with greater care. Its verses return to the idea that a single decision can carry lasting consequences for families and communities.
