I am thrilled to be able to finally do a proper review of Threads by the wonderful Dagda Publishers. It’s a collection of forty two contemporary poems which range in genre and stylistic type. The poets contained within are radiant in their genius and have a wonderful ability to create mini Worlds of almost artistic pleasure.
Within its pages lie so many unique aspects and view points that it is very possible that there is poetry in here for every keen eye. The back cover quite simply puts the view of the collection into an eloquent speech: ‘Threads of experience, memory and dreams all weave and intertwine to create snapshots of life and the human condition. An essential collection for all fans of the craft.’ To be honest although I am reviewing it myself I could not have described it better.
Several of the poems had me pausing and re reading them; some so that I could digest the meaning to a greater extent, some so that I could enjoy the pure pleasure of well written creativity and some so that I could discover a different meaning than I had originally thought possible.
A poem that caught my eye was the wonderfully entitled ‘Ode to a Fractal’ which was written by the excellent Dylan Otto Krider. I found it to be a short burst of creative genius which allowed an almost beautiful view of perhaps an almost underrated subject. I love that in a short space he has addressed the almost monotonous subject and turned it to the sublime. My favourite piece of the entirety has to be,
‘…you found patterns in a Universe,
sporadic,
and brought beauty to
logic…’
Could there be a better way to describe finding beauty everywhere? Even the layout of the poem draws your attention to its significance; the single words placed on lines of their own seems to separate the subject from the beauty it creates. This is a wonderful example of poetry in motion.
Another of my favourites is the wonderful ‘Long-Lost Love’ written by Colin W Campbell. For me this poem was a short burst of both despair and thoughtfulness. I love the way it flows so well. Some who have read my posts may have heard me describing the flow of literary pieces, for me at least, must be like water. This poem seems to embody that and carefully creates the opposing views of the subject. You can almost feel the despair from the ‘Phantom from a far off place’ looking for that love which they cannot find; this to me has a literal and a figurative meaning. For the literal, we sense the loneliness of the soul and long to reach out to comfort it; for the figurative the phantom could symbolise any previous loves from our lives that we still have lingering regrets over. The message is clear; move on, be happy, there’s nothing left for you here. The thoughtfulness I mentioned seems to come from the voice of the poem, that aforementioned longing to reach out and provide comfort. I find it fascinating that in twelve lines the poet has managed to create astounding clarity in a World of such emotion. It’s wonderful to read.
My last example of wonder is the brilliantly entitled ‘The Sound Garden’ written by Ross McCooey. For this one I have to start off with an example of its creativity,
‘Sycamore leaves scab the ground
sodden and flaccid they lie
in coagulated messes of rain
surveyed by sullen skies…’
Tell me truthfully, how fabulous is that descriptive language? Throughout the poem we’re treated to such literary almost sinful description that you can’t help but feel like you’re rolling naked in the purest silk. This feeling ironically goes against the subject of the poem; we are treat to an imaginative view of negligence with the smallest ‘ray’ of hope appearing at the end. That’s not to say such wonderful description can’t be used for a dark subject; on the contrary we are given such vivid views through language use that you can’t help but be drawn there, into the poem. It’s a fantastic read.
Now the above is just a few examples of the wonder within this book that I myself picked out. However I would like to say that each and everyone is fantastic in its own way and should be celebrated on their own merits. I cannot say enough that this book is a must read for every literary enthusiast. It is so well created and from a fantastic publisher that has found its creative ground and will now only move ahead in its endeavours. Also, a wonderful twist to this fantastic book is that proceeds from sales go to the brilliant charity Shelter that helps those in need of homes and security. I am proud to say that I have already donated 🙂
Oh…
… and within the book is some poem called ‘Echo’. It’s ok, read it if you like lol 🙂
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