Poetry Books

The title says it all: "Trombones" represents the preservation of the history of the community backbone of prayer, persistence, and strength. The poetry gives some insight to the suffering of the elders, and speaks to the continuing fight for the full parity of the AfricanAmerican community in a country that was literally built upon the bleeding, sweaty backs of my ancestors.

Amazon is to be commended for participating in this historical preservation of a works that I would recommend as mandatory reading for generations to come - regardless of religion, gender, or color.

My soul is galvanized everytime I hear or read James Weldon Johnson's God's Trombones. I have directed student perfomances of this deeply moving African American text. "The Crucifixion," for example, tells the story of how Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Savior,my Friend, suffered death on an old cross so that I might have an opportunity to be more sensitive to the hurting. The "Prodigal Son" urges me to experience and, thus understand, that I must live with a redemptive consiousness. And, of course, I am compelled to understand, through the poem "Go Down Death" this reality: God does call His children home. Those who have suffered "long in the vineyard" are deserving of rest. For sure, God's Trombones is a poetic tribute to an experience that is Christian and African American. I thank James Welson Johnson for creating this poetic masterpiece. Let's continue to read it; let's perform it. Let's live within the context of the spirituality of the voice. Amen!

God's Trombones is a beautiful expression of the themes of the Southern black experience and God's constant, personal presence in their lives. The themes he chose were expressed in sermons and in Gospel music. For the black person, God was aware of their struggles, would bring them out of "Egypt" (slavery) and would eventually take them to their home "over Jordan". Death would be a gentle freedom for those who were weary (as in "Go down Death").

Johnson's introduction explains that he was trying to express the fervant Southern black preacher with his pauses and emphases. He has done both well.

This is a book to be read for its beauty and inspiration, but more important, it shows (theological inaccuracies aside) how an oppressed people trusted in God's gentle hand, and God's constant love for even the "least" of his Creation.

I recommend this for historians, teachers, lovers of poetry, and for its spiritual content, anyone seeking inspiration.

My dad teaches Sunday School and was looking for this book to incorporate into his lesson plans. I found it here at Amazon and fell in love with this book. Absolutely wonderful to read and very profound. Exceptional!

While James Weldon Johnson's theology is not always orthodox ("God thought and thought" - who could put a new thought in God's mind? unless it was God and, then, God would not be God - this insight compliments of E.V. Hill in his sermon "When Was God At His Best?"), JWJ's poetry and, especially, his Preface displays the harmonious beauty of a long tradition of African American preaching not generally known or appreciated outside of African American circles. If one really wants to become familiar with and, indeed, edified by the godly reaching of E.V. Hill (now deceased), Fred Luter, Tony Evans, Robert Smith and a host of unknowns who preach with substance and, sometimes, in the "whoop"ing style, then, Weldon's book is a must read. May Christianity never lose what God has brought forth in a substantial style which stirs heart, mind and soul.

The Kalevala is the result of Elias Lönnrot collecting and commiting to paper the oral traditions of the Finnish people to produce an epic tale.
This translation has captured the poetic delivery of the original Finnish as perfectly as these two opposing languages could.
The poetry weaves the tales of Väinämöinen, an old seer and the younger Joukahainen who wishes to challenge him. This angers Väinämöinen who chants him deep into a swamp, a meadow and a heath!! To get himself out of trouble Joukahainen offers the old seer his sister Aino as a bride. Väinämöinen thinking he has been offered a house keeper accepts. Aino is quite taken with being his bride but Väinämöinen has other ideas and heads North to woo the maiden of the North. He can marry her if he forges a Sampo, which is a magical machine that churns out salt, flour and money! He can't do that but he knows a man who can, his good friend Ilmarinen the blacksmith. He has to trick Ilmarinen into going North but he makes the Sampo. Then the marriage requires another task and so the maiden remains unmarried.

Meanwhile, another character Lemminkäinen decides to go North and try his luck winning the maiden. He is given tasks in order to win her hand, capturing the elk of Hiisi and the swan from the river of Tuonela. The latter task nearly kills him and he gives up.

Väinämöinen is now making himself a boat to head back up North but he runs out of spells so he has to go and find Vipunen, a giant who knows all the spells. He gets his spells, finishes his boat and heads North but he is seen by the sister of the blacksmith and the blacksmith rides like the wind on his horse and catches up with him. The two men make a pact that they will let the maiden choose between them. The maiden choose Ilmarinen because he forged the Sampo but her mother still wants more tasks done and she orders Ilmarinen to plough the field of vipers. Ilmarinen finds this easy with his armoured boots and cape and so the crone of the North sets him the task of capturing the giant pike of the chill north sea without line or net!!Ilmarinen forges himself a giant eagle and captures the pike. Now the old crone is satisfied and the wedding takes place. Väinämöinen makes a kantele from the jaw of the pike which produces sweet voiced music such that tames the beasts and even causes the sea king Ahti to rise from the depths. He and Ilmarinen use the sweet music to soothe the beasts of the North whilst they take the Sampo for themselves and set sail for home. Louhi, mistress of the North casts a fog spell to stop them, which Väinämöinen conjures away so Louhi unleashes a terrible storm which sweeps the kantele from the boat whereupon Ahti the sea king thinks it is a present to him and he calms the sea. The crone turns herself into an eagle and attacks Väinämöinen's boat and in the struggle the Sampo is broken into pieces. Some of the pieces are washed up on the shore and from the fragments Ilmarinen makes amulets and rings thinking that perhaps there is still some magic left in the pieces. Each resident of Kalevala wears a magic piece on special occasions, wishing for a peaceful life.

Now I've just condensed an epic piece into a few short paragraphs...for which I apologise but it's a great tale and maybe this will encourage folk to read it themselves.

The Kalevala has a flow to it that makes the plot/ idea easy to follow. If English is your second language you will struggle with some of its vocabulary. The stories and the essence of this epic poem are captivating. I didn't want to put the book down at night. This is a good way to get to know Finnish culture.

This review is in two parts:

THE TRANSLATION: When it comes to reading ancient literature there are often numerous versions and translations. Unless a story is REALLY good, I only want to read it once. So it only makes sense that one should want to read the best version/translation available.
Thankfully, the Keith Bosley translation of The Kalevala is the most reader-friendly, very much like Seamus Heaney's translation of "Beowulf".
The Kalevala does not rhyme, although there are a few instances of alliteration scattered throughout. Each line is usually a handful of words comprising an even larger sentence, but it's done in a tasteful way so that you won't feel like you're reading a James Joyce run-on sentence like in "Ulysses".

THE EPIC:
The Kalevala bounces around telling tales of several major characters, which is fortunate, considering the length of the work. Without giving anything away, the characters do things like get married, steal precious relics, sing magical songs, go to war and build many more precious relics.

There are lots of good "Chapters" in The Kalevala and I was surprised that a few of my favorites had little or no action in them (according to a guy's definition of action, at least). One of which was the marriage sequence of Chapters 21-24. If you've ever heard the advice, "Don't get married", this is probably one of the sources where such advice comes from.

It is also noteworthy how much influence The Kalevala has had on Fantasy and Metal. If I remember correctly, Tolkien's "Silmarillion" starts off with beings singing things into existence, much like the characters in The Kalevala do.
The Finnish metal band "Ensiferum" has songs that are inspired straight from The Kalevala, such as "Old Man" which refers to Vainamoinen.
There are many other bands in the folk metal genre, that, although they don't specifically cite The Kalevala as an inspiration they clearly have songs that are similar to The Kalevala's oral tradition. Some examples (in my opinion) would be Korpiklaani (Finnish), Metsatoell and Raud Ants (Estonian).

Overall, I liked The Kalevala much more than I thought I would, given its length and I have to admit: I found it more interesting than Beowulf.

There is an elegant, powerful simplicity to this epic tale, no matter what language you read it in. The symbols transcend both language and time. There is nothing contrived here. Such a tale could not be counterfeited by a modern mind.At the center of the entire epic is Vainamoinen, the singer at the world's dawn. Here is the archetype for the wizard- the first and greatest among shamans. Before Merlin, before Taliesin, before Math, before Manannan, there was Vainamoinen, Eternal Seer.Something real and vital carries over even in translation. Reading this book on a cold winter's night you can taste the sea and smell the forest. You can identify with the characters even though they have godlike powers, because they also have trades that they live by (Vainamoinen is a boatbuilder, Ilmarinen a smith, Joukahainen builds his own crossbows, etc.) These Godlike beings lived simple lives close to the earth. And simple wisdom is powerful wisdom. Yet, there is also so much more of the old, deep legends and symbols buried in these lines. You can tell that they were preserved long after the long lines of singers had ceased to know their original meanings.The ancient Finns believed in the power of words, and the greater power of songs. There is still power here. Or as the epic says:

Words shall not be hid

nor spells be buried;

might shall not sink underground

though the mighty go.

I enjoyed this epic story of Finnish mythology. It was a musical, delightful collection of heroic stories that didn't overwhelm me. I could keep track of the characters and what they respresented quite easily.

I was delighted by this book! I hope all Finnish children are exposed to the exciting yet fun depiction of their mythological heritage.

I know that scholars want to read everything and disect the stories for deeper meanings -- which is just fine -- but I can really see this as a set of stories being told to small children while the whole family sat around the fireplace.

I love the selections from Ovid in this book! I like the slow start, using words very similar to their English equivalents, and the series of exercises that follow the selection. I even enjoy the discussion of etymology at the ends of the chapters.
My only complaint is the lack of answers at the back for the exercises. I'm trying to learn Latin on my own, and having the help of seeing answers would make my task somewhat less daunting. Still, taking enough care, and looking back at the examples and reading excerpt, I think I'll learn Latin well enough to read it on my own. Eventually.

I learned Latin using Wheelock's textbook, studying with an engaging instructor. That is an excellent text but, as many have noted, it is very dry. This book is more entertaining: less philosophy and more blood, sex, and other agreeable topics. Can't recommend it highly enough.

This is a great book to learn latin at your own pace. I have been studying it for almost a month now. The explanations are clear, and the examples meaningful. I highly recommended it for anyone who wants to learn some latin.

I found this book very useful and, if I were learning Latin from scratch as a youngster I expect it would have proved more interesting than the volumes I did work with. Of course, being American, the declensions are in the "wrong order" but this is a minor nuisance. Interesting exercises and additional information on Roman life and mores, mythology and magic.

Goldman's text is wonderful for someone desiring to learn Latin on their own. From the second chapter onwards, all the readings consist of revised excerpts from Ovid's Metamorphoses. As you are taught more grammar and vocabulary, she gradually introduces more and more of the original into the readings until you are reading what Ovid actually wrote. And although there is no answer key, the excercises (of which there are plenty) are usually of just the right difficulty: just hard enough to help you in learning Latin, but not so hard that you can't figure them out on your own.
I would also recommend the accompanying workbook, which is a little more difficult, but does include an answer key.

Maya Angelou's book "Phenomenal Woman" is a celebration of women regardless of race, creed, or color. The poems contained between the covers of this small but powerful book articulate the strength and beauty of womanhood. I display the book on my coffee table along with other books. My twelve year old niece read the book and fell in love with it. She has asked me to buy a copy for her.I will buy a copy for her and my other nieces and nephews.

Maya angelou is a jewel. Her poems rich deep inside your spirit. My daughter really enjoys these tapes.

Whether you are tall, thin, heavy, young, old, beautiful, ugly; we are all our own phenomenal woman!!!! Each of us has our own power within ourselves to shine and be our own wonderful person. Maya Angelou's own life, reaches within and brings us to this point with her words.

I heard Oprah recite the title poem at her workshop and had to have it. It is a great little book and would make a nice gift for a 'phenomenal woman'

What a wonderful collection of poems celebrating women. This book of four very soulful, strong, empowering poems has quickly become a favorite. I would recommend this book as a gift for any woman. Or better yet, buy it for yourself - you won't regret it!

A real tribute to the poet. I couldn't ask for more in this complete and unabridged title.

I bought this as a gift. It is well edited and complete.

This book and The Complete Poems Of Emily Dickinson were my introduction to poetry and I felt such a strong connection to both of them that it led to a life long love of this form of writing.

Lathem's collection is THE collection of Robert Frost's poetry. Nearly every Frost piece ever published is in this volume, and all organized chronologically. Everyone should own this collection.

There are more Robert Frost collections out than there are Robert Frost poems, but this is the only one you need to have. It's complete, unabridged and with numbered lines all the way through for reference work. THE Frost collection, bar none.

If it weren't for the illustrations, this book would be rated two stars. I saw this book advertised on Amazon's website among other children's books. The cover was so beautiful, that I had to read the reviews about the content and artistry of this book. I was seconds away from making a purchase when I decided to borrow it from the library instead. The pictures are absolutely gorgeous and I liked the way the author took a spin on the mean old woman in a shoe rhyme and made it into a loving mother bunny rhyme. Children get to learn all kinds of uncommon words (at their age) like shed, trellis, etc. but the rhymes are just names of rabbits who sleep on those objects - boring and uncreative. Example, "Zed slept on the shed" The whole book from A to Z is like that. I was wondering why such a beautifully illustrated book was not such a hot seller on Amazon's rankings and found out why. It's pretty but not educational. I don't need my little one to learn uncommon names of people that are supposed to rhyme with the objects. If you want a good ABC book, I highly recommend Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. That is by far the best. It is very educational and very fun. As for numbers, I recommend Ten Little Ladybugs and/ or Over in the Meadow. Both are just excellent.

Illustrations are wonderful. Text is silly fun, but instructive in counting and alphabet. Just don't be so taken by the beautiful bunny drawings that you decide to get a bunny for your young one- they're more adult pets, despite their cuteness. They require a lot of care, research, adult attention and space to roam. Let your kids enjoy the pretty pictures instead.

Mama bunny lives in a shoe, has 26 babes, but knows just what to do. She tucks them into various "beds" as she counts them off. The detailed illustrations are what I like best about this book. My son loves studying them. He gets a kick out of the quirky places the bunnies sleep, esp Frankie in the hankie for some reason. I wish that this was written so that the bunnies' names and the places they slept started with the same letter. That would have reinforced the alphabetic aspect of this book, but maybe it's asking too much. I still really do like this one.

Unlike so many poorly executed rhyming books, this one is a joy to read. The rhymes are well constructed and creative. And the pictures are delightful. Just tonight, my 6 year old asked me to read it again as a bedtime story, because he loves to study the engrossing pictures. And we've enjoyed this book for years. I was happy to just now see that this author/illustrator pair have done other books together.

I'm such a sucker for rhymes. Fortunately, so are my kids. There's nothing like a story with pleasant and soothing rhymes to get them off to sleep quickly (giving me more time to write reviews :D) See, there's an Old Mother Rabbit who lives in a shoe. She has 26 children (those rabbits sure know how to multiply!) but she definitely knows what to do. The tale travels through the alphabet -naming each bunny and where they fall asleep (1 is named Abel, he slept on the table.....and so on) My kids delighted in guessing where each little bunny would sleep (some places were pretty strange - like who could fall asleep in candy???) It also taught them words they don't normally use (e.g. lane, holly, kettle). Counting, the alphabet, and rhyming.... all in one sweet little bedtime story. What more could a parent ask for - besides children who beg to go to bed?

Being a Maryland girl but living far away, these poems brought me back home! I am a huge Bruce Hornsby fan too so it was fun finding the lines to the songs that I know here and there! The poems made me laugh, think and cry. Thanks for the trip back home!

I bought this book because I'm a big fan of Bruce Hornsby. Luckily I did! Trying to find each Hornsby lyric that the author placed in each one of his poems was certainly very fun and quite challenging!


If you're a fan of Bruce Hornsby.......and The Shawshank Redemption.......then you'll definitely like this book.

I received this book just recently as a Christmas gift and what more can be said about it that hasn't already been said by other Amazon reviewers? So many of the poems in Till The Dreaming's Done really do hit home.
I guess one of things that hasn't been touched on a whole lot in these reviews, is to mention the author's one of a kind sense of humor. This young man uses some pretty darn good analogies throughout his poems and seems like he'd be one heck of a fun guy to chat with over a cup of coffee.
In conclusion, I do believe that we haven't heard the last of this 20-something poet and I know that I'll be awaiting that second book release from him one day down the road.

This author is going to fly to the top. His poems are very unique. After reading his book of poems, I lost my mother to cancer. There is a poem that he wrote that I kept reading, that brought me comfort. He is an amazing writer and I hope he will be bringing out another one. I'll be waiting!

A groundbreaking new book and author who gives tribute: to musical artist Bruce Hornsby, drama movie The Shawshank Redemption, and a traditional taste of Robert Frost here and there throughout his poetry. This guy's good!

Tramp for the lord is an eye opener for you to look at where you are, where you have been and where you are going. A good read for those moving through life and a must read for those that want to celebrate life to it's fullest.

If you read this book you will NEVER forget it. Such wonderful testimony to the miracles that the Lord is still doing in the world. I highly recommend it. It's a real page turner.

Tramp for the Lord is ONE of the most rewarding books I have ever read in my life. Everyone should read this book. She too was a human who sinned and came short of the glory of God. Corrie shares so much of her heart and life - not only because of her experiences in prison, but in every day life as she traveled the United States and to other countries to share God's work. As she experienced real life situations with ordinary people, that grew her daily in her walk with God, because as Paul learned, God's work was not easy. It was those situations that she shared in "Tramp for the Lord" that she was also growing with each situation she faced as Paul did as he continued in his day discipling for God. Corrie's book, "Tramp for the Lord," is a must read after "the Hiding Place" and will be hard to put down.

This book is a sequel to "The Hiding Place" a biography about Corrie Ten Boom's experience during World War II, arrested and sent to a German concentration camp for hiding Jews.

Corrie surrenders to God's Will for her life to take the Gospel and her story to the entire world. Because of her humbleness, she is able to connect to people from all walks of life, from royalty to prisoners. She was especially able to connect with prisoners who were hopeless because of her own experience of being locked up.

It was easy for her to minister to the victims of WWII, but Corrie resisted going back to Germany, the land that she dreaded. But she obeys and goes to Germany where she meets one of her former prison guards, one of the cruelest, walking up to her after a meeting. A chill grips her heart and bitterness wells up when he asks for her forgiveness. Leaning on the power of the Holy Spirit, she was able to forgive her enemy and found God's love overflowing.

Each chapter is a story and devotional about a situation Corrie encounters. My favorite one is, "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go, Dear Lord... but Not Up Ten Flights of Stairs."

An excerpt of this book might say it all (from Chapter 5)...

"A great ocean separated me from my homeland. I had no money. Nobody wanted to hear my lectures. All I had was an inner word from God that He was guiding me. Was it enough? All I could do was press on--and on--and on--for His Name's sake. Before going to sleep I opened my Bible, my constant companion. My eyes fell on a verse from the Psalms, "The Lord taketh pleasure...in those that hope in His mercy" (147:11). It was a thin web--a tiny filament--stretching from heaven to my little room on 190th Street in New York. I fell asleep holding on to it with all my strength."

Oh, what a joy to learn that God is for us and not against us! I highly recommend this book.

M. Rose Barkley's poems speak with an intense rhythm. Her truths are direct and real; the music of this poetry carries forward straight to the soul. Sometimes we are brought to a new place with repeated lines, "I sit thinking/Blinking memories/of You/Blinking/Past images of you." Sometimes we are moved by single syllable beats, "Bird song/sing bird/as you melt/My soul away from this." And often Ms. Barkley brings us the excitement of a multi-syllabic rhythm, "Staring@ a 90 degree angle's impression/of the torchiere's light thrust upward/upon the green walls/like a horizontal sunrise bursting..." Singing with this virtuosic sense of rhythm, Ms. Barkley's brings her messages straight to us...messages of her search for herself, her identity as a black woman, her sense of who she is and her desire to right social injustice. Some of these poems are exhortations in the style of Lucille Clifton, "Go young children/and learn/Seek out/those things/which make your spirits/burn/Just go/Learn." And "Black Girl/Why is color/on your mind." Some are chants. I would love to hear the poet say this one, "I can squeeze/on a dollar/'til the joker drip/green/ If I gotta make it/holler-/Yeah, you know/what I mean." That poem is hollering to be heard.

I found that I could relate to many of her poems. You can't help but be completely taken in by the strength in the messages that come across in each of her passages. I look forward to her next collection of masterpieces.

After coming across this wonderful book by happenstance, I am totally moved by the verse and spirits contained within it. I have read it several times, and was very pleasantly surprised that there was available, an audio version of it! Spoken by the author, no less! What a treat! As I spend a lot of time driving, I have listened to Ms. Barkley's spoken words, dozens of times. And each time I do, I feel a refreshment of my spirit and soul... absolutely wonderous. I recently viewed a short film produced by Ms. Barkley, titled "In View of a Cup Half-Full", based on the poem "Spiral Pillar". It was absolutely gripping visually, spiritually, rhythmically, and overall just reached out and grabbed you. I wanted to immediately watch it again and again, just to feel the power envelope me, inspiring me to aspire higher... Ms. Barkley's works are truly of the spirit. I can't wait, to experience her next creative composition. I would highly recommend any and all of her work to everyone. Experience it with an open heart... you'll be glad you did.

WAYFAIRING STRANGER is a powerful, beautiful work of art. Honest, lyrical, rhythmic, touching...it glows with the real.

From "Literary Cog" (one of my personal favorites):

"still/ must the poet seek/ to find and identify/ that which she sees/ and that which she knows/ instinctively/ to be unyieldingly indifferent/ to rhyme or reason/ for more than/ an instant/ in time/ on paper"

True indeed.

-Joshua Ortega, February 2000

I got this 'piece of art' the 25th. of December 1999.(yep, Christmas Day)
The minute I started to read I was sold.
I was touched in a very special way. Straight in the heart.
I'm a black guy from Holland and I didn't understand everything at once,
but I believe that every black man should own a copy of this piece of black gold.
I believe the words in this book are very strong and very true.
It gives me peace of mind in times when my live gets crazy.
It helps me to put my life back into perspective.

Thank you Rose Barkley

Although the thoughts are a bit strange and outlandish, this book will make everyone laugh and recall their childhood questions and thoughts. For children and adults, ages 3 to 103, this will quickly become your favorite. Pick up a copy and see for yourself.

This book is hilarious. LW Lewis out shines any other childrens poet writer. Every poem on every page is knee slapping hilarious. Every teacher should read a poem a day to their class. They would become the coolest teacher. EVerytime we finish our work early we all sit quietly in hopes that our teacher will read us a poem. Some of them have a lesson within the funny story.

If you are a kid who is always is blue and have no good humour then you are going to want to read this book.There is a lot of a funny poems in this book and you'll go nuts to read them again so aftrer yuo read this you will go nuts.

We are two fifth grade girls from Waccamaw Elem. L.W Lewis came to our school and read some of his poems we think he is a superb author and that everyone should read his wonderous poem book called "Why Do Flies Eat Doggy Poop?" and "Poodles,tigers,monsters and you"!!!! sit back relax and read a few poems by L.W.Lewis ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This book is so good you will laugh your pants off. Litterally! Parents think that this book is bad but really it has some good teaching poems that rock out loud. Some are serious and they also have morals. L.W Lewis is one of the best poem writer that has ever came to our school. All Mr.Lewis wants to do is make people laugh. You should read his book sometime!