I have seen a lot of poetry like this recently. These are not traditional poems. They are more like aphorisms influenced by social media memes. The strength of this collection is that, basically, I like the ideas presented. They reveal a snapshot of the truth of life that a wide range of readers will agree with.
For example:
REVENGE
There is no better revenge than withdrawing your energy from someone who craves a response.
SLAM
People mistake your open-heartedness for weakness.
Not realising that when the wind is strong enough, the widest doors slam shut the hardest.
This poet writes with refreshingly smooth and unblemished syntax, unlike so many writers who think the language must be twisted out of shape to be “artistic.” In fact, here is the poem that states a credo that many poets could use more of:
WORDS
Sometimes words lose their meaning the more of them you try to use.
However, the more memorable works in this volume are those where the poet branches into imagery and metaphor, adding an emotional level to the reader’s reaction. This is the strength of poetry.
This work ranks well with other material presented to me for review because it has no pretensions. It does what it sets out to do; it gives us something to think about.
I encourage this writer to move into a wider sphere, now, and make more use of imagery and rhythm to give her poetry emotional power and thus make it more memorable.
(4 / 5)