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A review by hessionsreadingworld
In the Dark, Soft Earth by Frank Watson
5.0
I had the pleasure of receiving an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of In the Dark, Soft Earth by poet Frank Watson. Thank you for the opportunity Plum White Press LLC.
Frank Watson is an American Poet who was born in California and now resides in New York. He is the author of four anthologies of poetry, the most recent being In the Dark, Soft Earth: Poetry of Love, Nature, Spirituality, and Dreams. Watson has also edited and contributed to several other anthologies including Poetry Nook.
Right from the start, I enjoyed reading this collection of poems by Frank Watson. One of the unique things about this collection of poetic works, at least to me, is that our poet includes prints of contemporary and classic art. Some of his poems are inspired by the artwork, the rest of the prints are included to set the readers mood. The anthology is broken into ten different "books" separated by topic. The overarching theme in this anthology is the earth and our relationship it it, as well as earthly desires.
Several poems stood out for me and touched me in a way that I did not expect. One such poem was "desert of dreams" in Book 6: Beneath the Raven Moon. "on a quiet path/ beneath the crimson rain/ she shadow-walks/ across the desert of dreams/ to pierce my sleeping mind." First, his writing reminds me of e. e. cummings, in that there is no capitalization in Watson's poetry. Second, the image of a woman "shadow-walking" in the rain is one that I can vividly conjure in my mind. Watson captures the dream world perfectly in this poem. "The desert of dreams/ to pierce my sleeping mind" is how all dreams start. One minute we are sleeping and the next our minds take us to a landscape that has infinite dream possibilities. Everyone of us can related to that REM period in sleep where we are aware that we are dreaming and that was awoken in me when I read this poem. There were many more that I could reference, but want you to be able to experience Watson's poetry while reading this book.
I think one of the main reasons I enjoyed this anthology is that Watson's poetry is not only about the earth but is earthy. What do I mean by this? Watson's poetry is organic, raw, and "down to earth." It reveals a deep fascination and relationship with nature that I find soothing and like a balm to the soul. I definitely enjoyed reading it and highly recommend it for not only nature and poetry lovers, but also for those who are looking to branch out and read something meaningful.
I will be using this book for the 2020 PopSugar Reading Challenge- a book published in 2020. What is your favorite poems or collections of poems? Who is your favorite poet? I would love to discuss in the comment section.
Happy Reading!
Hession
https://www.hessionsreadingworld.com/2020/05/arc-in-thee-dark-soft-earth.html
Frank Watson is an American Poet who was born in California and now resides in New York. He is the author of four anthologies of poetry, the most recent being In the Dark, Soft Earth: Poetry of Love, Nature, Spirituality, and Dreams. Watson has also edited and contributed to several other anthologies including Poetry Nook.
Right from the start, I enjoyed reading this collection of poems by Frank Watson. One of the unique things about this collection of poetic works, at least to me, is that our poet includes prints of contemporary and classic art. Some of his poems are inspired by the artwork, the rest of the prints are included to set the readers mood. The anthology is broken into ten different "books" separated by topic. The overarching theme in this anthology is the earth and our relationship it it, as well as earthly desires.
Several poems stood out for me and touched me in a way that I did not expect. One such poem was "desert of dreams" in Book 6: Beneath the Raven Moon. "on a quiet path/ beneath the crimson rain/ she shadow-walks/ across the desert of dreams/ to pierce my sleeping mind." First, his writing reminds me of e. e. cummings, in that there is no capitalization in Watson's poetry. Second, the image of a woman "shadow-walking" in the rain is one that I can vividly conjure in my mind. Watson captures the dream world perfectly in this poem. "The desert of dreams/ to pierce my sleeping mind" is how all dreams start. One minute we are sleeping and the next our minds take us to a landscape that has infinite dream possibilities. Everyone of us can related to that REM period in sleep where we are aware that we are dreaming and that was awoken in me when I read this poem. There were many more that I could reference, but want you to be able to experience Watson's poetry while reading this book.
I think one of the main reasons I enjoyed this anthology is that Watson's poetry is not only about the earth but is earthy. What do I mean by this? Watson's poetry is organic, raw, and "down to earth." It reveals a deep fascination and relationship with nature that I find soothing and like a balm to the soul. I definitely enjoyed reading it and highly recommend it for not only nature and poetry lovers, but also for those who are looking to branch out and read something meaningful.
I will be using this book for the 2020 PopSugar Reading Challenge- a book published in 2020. What is your favorite poems or collections of poems? Who is your favorite poet? I would love to discuss in the comment section.
Happy Reading!
Hession
https://www.hessionsreadingworld.com/2020/05/arc-in-thee-dark-soft-earth.html