Introduction

Last month I highlighted some of the poems from the first volume that I felt reflected the breadth
of our poetry and the fruits of this journal's vision. 

This month I continue and complete the review. 

If you want to get a taste for what kind of poetry this journal features, sample from the list below.
Each poem's "Wow!" factor and urgent purpose granted it inclusion. The list is not meant to 
disparage the remaining poems, each of which is priceless in its own way.



Great moments in Year 1 (second half) -

Outer Space, by Eric Miller

excerpt:

The Truth?
ask your soul
about everything that NASA knows
and holds
but, They can’t hold me
God done told me
I’m a celestial being
unfolding,
holding the Ark
inside my heart
Divine minds design art
the seas part
but, that’s just a start
The poet expresses the yearning for escape from this world, in both virtual and physical terms. 
The poet asserts his "supraterrestrial" nature persuasively and the poem is as eye-opening as the Outer
Space.   

Its "diggable" rhyme is appealingly complex, the alliteration and the unfolding nature irresistible. The 
rhythm works and the symbolism is deliberate, every line alluding to archetype.

I am the seeker, by Mary P.

excerpt:

I am the seeker of life. 
The one that wants to know! 
Do Angels make babies smile? 
What makes the beauty of the flowers unfold. 
This inspires me to walk in the poet's shoes. The poem glorifies the seeker of intuitive truth, that
powerful archetype for human beings on this earth. The poet sees wonder in natural things, great in 
their abundance, and so, taken for granted. She feels wonders that cannot be easily be put into words
or measured. Her questions open many doors and inspire us to find some of our own. 

honours, by Olli Savolainen

excerpt:

For we live in a world
where virginity
carries no value 
other than for the pleasure of minds
of the perverted 
A sad glimpse of a story whose starkly naked observations of the human condition are told with 
dramatic flair. I love the form, and how the cadence is followed out gracefully and meaningfully. 

Naked, by Umbereen Sultana Nehal

excerpt:

I am naked.
As shockingly naked as the autumn tree,
Stripped of its fiery splendor by the unforgiving wind,
Shivering in the bitter cold.
The poet asserts the very discomforting and symbolic title characteristic through repeated metaphors. 
Progressively acknowledging her condition, the poet is led to a more powerful realization.

Wednesday Night, by David N. Menzies

excerpt:

He couldn’t go to sleep thinking.
Every evening, he began the escapist
Ritual: watching TV, never blinking
Away the sight of Angel maintaining
The Good fight despite the feeling
That he was damned.  
This describes a night that anyone could relate to, but few would put down in print. Reflects modern
living in the age of virtual morality media messaging and what it feels like to be rudely interrupted 
from it. These are the kinds of moments that can bring panic to the unprepared.

The poet's storytelling skills are unmatched and mesh geniously to the alliterative phrasing.

Searching, by Carol Greenberg

excerpt:

The streets are littered here in Memory.
Scraps of photos, broken promises, forgotten trinkets,
(Some gold) clothes from another era,
Mostly.  Smelling of moth balls
A mixture of historical fiction and travel diary, the poet uses this vehicle to take us on a journey to 
Memory. In a world that is oftentimes trying to sweep away the past, the poet expresses an intuitive 
connection to the saner values of tradition, imperfectly tinged with humanity as they may be.  

The Whitening, by Janet I. Buck

excerpt:

I waken to the soapy lather of snow
on an almost silent street.
A row of stranded cars
like creamy sundaes in a dish.
It's quite an accomplishment when a poet can make you thank God for a phenomenon that you have
come to take for granted, and does so artfully and through subtle tribute.

Pithy words and creative metaphors tease the reader's mind. 

for the safety of others, by Nathan Raymond Orton

excerpt:

if you get the chance
call back all the people you've ever wanted to talk to

don't wait for the day to come
when you realize everything has left you behind
I read this and I'm afraid not to take heed. Simple advice, sincerely told and based in experience, can
be an effective call to action.

Salt Of The Earth, by Linda L. Bielowski

excerpt:

To be swinging on the porch swing, swaying
up-and-back, up-and-back, in swooshing syncopation
with pa’s wheezing breaths on a twice baked Iowa day,
A poem can honor the wisdom of the past and capture the flavor of a regular, though magnificent, 
memory, through nostalgic narrative. Notice how the form mimics the swaying motion of the 
protagonist. The alliterative rhythm is playful like childhood, and the breezy verbs almost convey 
the wind generated by the swing. Narrative expressed with such potent form is a delight to read.    

Made Metaphor, by Stephen Bartlett

excerpt:

They are kind and wise.
We know those as just words, 
we want to feel what they feel, 
know the easy of their togetherness. 
These are observations on babies, the "made metaphors" that bring so much joy to life. True to 
the title, this poem illustrates how the idea becomes the form. The unusual grammar is interesting.


Looking Forward

Please revisit these poems and reread other selections you might have missed from Volume One.
I greatly benefited as I am sure you would.

Thanks to everyone who reads and reflects on anything in this journal. As a reader, you are an 
honored guest. Thanks as well to all the contributors.

Omar Azam