Welcome to National Poetry Month! Please check out these recommendations, and tune in to my Watch City Readers video cast of FB Live on Sunday, April 10, at 6pm EST!
“36 Verses if You’re Bored During a Sunrise” by Will Sparber is illuminating in a myriad of contexts. This poetry collection includes luminescent photos of sunrise and light. A calm ocean, a Christmas tree, a lone shining lion relaxing as if to say:
"And I guess we’re all in your imagination, but the pain is very powerful,I’m not sure I can take it. It feels good, can we stay a little longer? I feel I’m getting stronger though I know I am a goner.”
Find out what's happening in Walthamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Gears, sparks, light and dark: all are pixelated in this collection of poems in verse recalling the infinite differences in the grey.
Romance, life, love…each are addressed with poetic nuances of light and dark. As in verse #6:
Find out what's happening in Walthamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“A spiral is the endlessness of traveling onward.”
And if that wasn’t powerful enough, verse #6 continues:
”It’s just inside your mind in and out like the ocean tide.”
At times this work is blunt, as in verse #7:
”With every sunrise comes rules. Nothing worth a piece of the sun is ever easy.”
Then comes poem #36 and its gratitude in platitudes:
”Pondering something gigantic even if it’s less than what’s between you and I forever.”
I read this book over a span of thirty - six days, not knowing if that was the author’s intent or not. Yet it flowed naturally in that time frame as each verse woke up in singular variants to a new dawn.
Definitely the next book for poetry lovers to pick up. I would also recommend this collection for multi-media artists who are practicing with themes of light and dark.
"Dark Whispers of the portrait" by Alex Mylonas is a collection of poetry that contains relatable stories and sensory experiences that lovers of poetry will adore.
The first person texts are split up into five chapters, with thematic poems within each.
Part one is titled "If you're ready to meet your nightmares." It is an introduction to the realm of emotions and fantasy coming in the following pages.
From,"The Portrait"
A desperate wind force me to flee
I abandon my duties, I forsake my home
A lullaby in red danger
Part two is called, "If you're feeling sad today. This is not an uplifting section of cheerful whimsy, but rather dark and macabre depression. A trigger warning is noted before the poems begin, with a note of hope.
Sensuous phrases fill the poems.
From "D."
Dirty words and clean minds
The magic spell will affect me no more
Sweet is the hope that I felt
The bitter truth is sleeping
Part three is, "If the world is unfair." This entire section reads like a war cry, with the narrator fighting against classic enemies and emotions.
From, "Ahoy!"
The reciprocity of my true self is killed
Invading my thoughts I found
fragments of insanity
The virus is creeping inside
Part four is "If an epic tale is what you seek." It follows the theme of the previous chapter, and furthers it. This section takes the reader on a journey with knights, queens, warriors, and medieval kingdoms.
From "Force"
Freedom in my heart
I obey my command
And I seek the dark
The blade shall return to those who need it
The fifth and final chapter is called "If all you want is love." It begins with the thrilling poem, "Dance," a story of love and love lost within the rush of mystery.
Some of these poems are filled with foreboding.
From "Mask"
I married death
I walk in the land of decay
An oracle in the dark
First person narration throughout allows the reader to feel more distinctly aligned with the words. I found some grammatical and spelling errors that I usually overlook in poetry, and they did not adversely affect my enjoyment of this book.
"Dark Whispers of the Portrait" is a poetry collection exploring themes from grim love to facetious death. It is relatable and tangible. An eloquent read for lovers of dark poetry.
