Poetry Books

Once again, I was quickly sucked into this collection of poetry. Insightful, sometimes humorous, but always very accurate and truthful are several descriptions I would associate with Michelle Ailene True. For any true poetry lover, we know and appreciate an artist who can succinctly choose words that give vivid imagery, entice emotions, and do so in few words.

No Retreat and I Won't Give up are examples of the author's inner strength but also they show us that the victimization come not from how the other people/situation treats us, but how we respond to the situation. Our choices make us either the victim or the survivor. Look Back And Laugh makes you proud of her wisdom. It goes on like that though all 151 pages as the author tries to convince herself, and the process convinces you, the reader, of a fantastic universal truth. We all hurt. We all bleed. We all want love. And most importantly, we all have the strength within to rise above and move on.

Though the poems are the author's pain, when you read them, there is not one person who cannot associate with the words, the emotions, the pain or the joy expressed in the poems. They are universal and beautifully crafted for that very reason.

True Emotions, written by author Michelle Ailene True, covers all emotions and
subjects of life. Not one the same, some intriguing, some very different; but all
written very well. Michelle Ailene True, author of True Reflections, brings to you
True Emotions with one hundred poems to satisfy any poetry lover. Keep your eyes
peeled for future works by Michelle Ailene True.

- Veronica Lamont. author of I'm Not Mad, I'm Special

True Emotions by Michelle Ailene True delivers an entertaining account and perspective of love, life, relationship and loss. The poems in this book truly come from the heart, and make the absolutely remarkable True Emotions come to life. Each poem is woven together with various emotions and transitions so subtle that the reader will be drawn into the depths of Ms. True's inner most feelings. For example, in I'M JUST ME, Ms. True writes: "I'm just me, no more, no less; I don't leave much for you to guess. In SHATTERED, My heart has been frequently shattered, as thought it hasn't ever mattered." Showing such strengths, candor, and vulnerability each emotion transcends throughout her writings. True Emotions will leave a lasting impression upon its readers as they reflect upon its veritable journey of emotions. I highly recommend this book to everyone. David A. Lewis, author of Forever Moments

Michelle Ailene True's True Emotions is filled with poetry that depicts perfectly how poets feel about their craft and the words that they use to draw a picture for the reader. "Hair Obsession" shows her self-assuredness, "No Retreat" and "Don't Give Up" shows her strength as a person while "I Didn't Mean To Leave" illustrates deep sadness through loss, and her poem "Without You" shows the full cycle of love, loss and the return to wholeness. Michelle has a unique way of pulling you into her mind and heart as a poet and shows you the love and frustration of her craft. It's funny, loving and serious throughout and a must for book lovers everywhere! - Terri Ann Armstrong, Author of My Soul Has Spoken & Where Do I Begin?

Michelle True is a poet with strong self-respect who makes her own choices in life and deals with the consequences. In her newly published work, True Emotions, Michelle discusses old and new relationships, the sensuous pleasures of everyday life and loves in a self-contained and thoughtful way.

Each word is placed with care on the page with spiritual power and often joy, as she serenely blends emotions with descriptive sounds and original expressions. Michelle sometimes writes with a subtle feeling of disappointment in life, reminiscent of Emily Dickinson's self-contained solitude, that carries you throughout her writing and reveals a quiet passion and love of people and life combined with expectation of something better. Her poems have a calming effect on the soul, of acceptance of life as it is, yet striving for more, as she ties together beginnings and endings often surprising the reader at the finish.

The sorrows, hurts, acceptance and release of the act of divorce is poignantly described throughout the book, leaving the reader with a deep compassion for the wounded self felt by the author as a sweet dream turned sour. True Emotions drains the dross in all of us to reveal the nugget of gold Michelle True leaves at the bottom of our souls. It is a book everyone who loves poetry's simplest, truest reflection of life as it is and how we wish it could be, will want to read and place among their finest works of poetry, as well as share with others. - Joyce Ann Edmondson, author of "The Listening Tree"

Normally I don't care for poetry...however, this book of poetry told a story. The story of a woman after God's own heart. The story of someone who has been broken but leaning on God's shoulders. The story of someone who mourned the lost of a loved one and wanted to began to rejoice. The story of someone who is genuinely concerned with racial reconciliation. This book is a love story with the Lord as the main character.

We live in a world where people are seeking realness and truth. Ms. Allen delivers just that!

' Forgive me' pg. 17 ...Ms. Allen leads us into God's presence, where true forgiveness/atonement awaits...such a blessed place!

Poet has an uncanny nack of being able to portray the realness of life. Covering topics not often talked about in society and often frowned upon by the prude in each of us. Thoughtful and perceptive. One experiences change after encountering this collection.

Allen's poems are refreshing and inspiring their honesty. She's clearly lived a lot in life, and come through much. Very good for my spirit to read and reflect on her thoughts.

It's so hard to explain just how beautiful the illustrations in this book are. My son learned the entire poem the first year we read it when he was 3 1/2 and it is a book he looks forward to getting out every year. There are other great illustrators who have done Twas the Night Before Christmas, but there is something so special about these dot illustrations that I'm so grateful we happened upon THIS book.

This book has nice black and white illustrations, and "old English" spellings. The cover is a subtle forest green, wine red binding and some gold.

What a contrast from the brightly-colored character-loaded images from other books and videos that fill our children's lives.

Children love colors, but wouldn't it be good to expose them to different things once in while?

I purchased this book for my family for Christmas. I found it absolutely beautiful! There is a short introduction in the beginning that tells the history of the poem. The drawings are exquisite and the binding is simply elegant. I love everything about this book! I intend to keep it in our family and pass it down for generations!

I received this book quickly and was pleased to see the pictures were exactly what I had hoped for and the words were exactly the ones used in the original "Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus".
My little 3 year old grandson listened intently as we read it to him. He wanted to see the pictures as the story was read and explained to him. This book will become a treasure of our family, to be read and re-read year after year.

My mother used to read me this poem every christmas eve which became a magical tradition. The book was misplaced in a move and my mother and i have not read it since I was young. So I ordered this version for her christmas this year and when it arrived I was more than pleased. The book is stunning in more ways than one, and the artwork really shows how magical and heartwarming the story is. I shall give it to my mother on christmas eve and I know she will treasure it.. as will my kids and there kids after them. This book without a doubt will become an heirloom. Wether you are looking for a new copy or buying twas the night before christmas for the first time, I highly recommend this version. Enjoy.

What is most interesting about this book -- which centers on the poetry of the Bedouin tribe of Awlad Ali -- is not the poetry per se, but that it gives an insider's view of the craft of Ethnography. It shows, through the eyes of a skilled ethnographer, and almost by indirection and in reverse order, how meaning is attached to cultures by the people who live in them.

By peeling back the skin of the Awlad Ali culture - one of the nomadic tribes that once hovered around the edge of the Western Egyptian Desert -- we learn, not just "the ways" of this and similar Nomadic tribes, but more generally, the steps needed to attach meaning to the onion called culture. This analysis reveals, layer-by-layer, the structure and texture of the Awlad Ali worldview. It also reveals the various ideologies that supported its construction.

The Awlad Ali tribe is a society based on blood kinship, on honor, and on a kind of fierce tribal autonomy and independence. And however abstract these categories may seem, and however much they may seem settled at birth, they are in fact constantly being re-negotiated in the tribe's everyday efforts to survive: "lived deeds" in the Awlad Ali culture always trump ascribed status and words. The culture has especially derogatory names and references to those who talk, but fail to act.

Moreover, cultural meaning and societal rules remain close to the ground: that is, closely attached to survival needs. Ascribed status - that is patrilineal genealogy, maleness, etc. definitely have a pride of place in the culture, but these do not settle the matter of status once and for all: What one does with these is the final arbiter of ones position and status within the tribe.

As an American peeping into another culture, what I learned in a somewhat painfully indirect way is that most of rest of the world - even primitive tribes -- still speak and relate to each other in the language of humanity: poetry, songs, prayer, proverbs, folklore, tales, myths, etc. To them, these are not mere cultural trinkets, ornamentations and affectations, to be tossed about during holidays, or to be commercialized and then tossed aside, or just the colorful tools used to promote a particular kind of politics or political organization, but they are the real meat of human discourse. They serve as the actual conduits through which deep human feelings are conveyed and transmitted.

As a backdrop to our own culture, there are at least two lessons to be learned (indirectly and in relief) from this book:

(1) That it is possible to construct a cultural worldview (a complete cosmology of meaning) entirely without the need for a category called "race" or without reference to the idea of a "religion." The author, who was Christian and a partly-white female, lived in the home of the tribe she was studying for two years, which was nominally Muslim, but with all of the many intersecting categories of meaning: race and religion, were never mentioned to her or ever played a role in tribal discourse.

(2) That we Americans live in a social world that is bereft of normal meaningful human attachments and discourse. In comparison to the Awlad Ali tribe, we live in a world of greatly diminished humanity in which racism, acquisition of things, commodification and consumerization of those things, rationalizations and political spin, false piety, rationing of intangibles qualities, knee-jerk bipartisanism, sublimated hatred, and artistic shallowness, are substitutes for real meaning.

Is this all just an inevitable part of modernity? It is difficult to know, but we must be grateful to this author for showing us with great skill that there are other images of, and paths to meaningfulness.

Ten Stars

the book is written by an american woman with mideastern roots -- she provides great insight into the traditionals of the bedouin and arab worlds. I read this before I went to Egypt and it provided great foundation for understanding the culture of the town and village. I like her writing style -- she makes anthopological analysis interesting by explaining in the context of her interactions with the bedouins.

I agree with the other reviewers. It was the best ethnography I can remember reading. What struck a chord with me was her description and explanation of the women's submission to the men, that the submissiveness was valuable only when it was voluntarily given. The idea of women being submissive to men is not only Islamic, but exists also in Christianity.

Lila Abu Lughod, an Arab American woman, lived among the Awlad Ali tribes of the North West of Egypt for two years. Veiled Sentiments is the book she wrote on the lives and poetry of Awlad Ali. Abu Lughod field work was clearly not carried out from a "superior" stance; she sympathized with her subjects and dealt with them as equal human beings rather than inferior specimen or cultures. Abu Lughod attitude, intelligence, training and tremendous analystical ability helped her in developing great insight and understanding of this fascinating culture.

Abu Lughod analysis of concepts such as "hishma" was truly incisive and shed a great deal of light on the nature of modesty between women and men and amongst men and women. The analysis seems to explain behaviors and norms witnessed elsewhere in Egypt and indeed other parts of the Middle East.

An important thesis of Abu Lughod is that the Awlad Ali people often communicated in very conservative and modest way directly through words; they only said what was proper and fitted the norms. Yet a second mode of communication far more true and expressive was found in their little songs or poems.

Abu Lughod discussed gender relation amongst Awlad Ali at length and the relationship between women and the families of their husbands and the society at large. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it. For an excellent work on veiling and gender issues, I would recommend Leila Ahmed's Women & Gender in Islam.

"Veiled Sentiments" is academic. It is the outcome of the author's living in a Bedouin community in northern Egypt (the Western Desert) for two years, a feat of no mean proportions.

Lila Abu-Lughod came to a deep understanding of such aspects of the culture as blood ties, veiling and poetry not only because of her talent and training but also because she has ties to that culture. She calls academics like herself "halfies" because they belong both "inside and outside the communities they write about." She realizes that such a situation benefits them in terms of gathering knowledge within close cultures.

The veiling of women (or rather women's veiling of themselves) is an important topic because of recent events including world politics and of the ongoing research in feminism. It is also important because it is so often misunderstood and so difficult to understand even when it is explained.

After reading Abu-Lughod's renowned (in the world of academics) book, "Veiled Sentiments," I think I have a better handle on veiling than I ever would have had otherwise. It was not easy to absorb the concepts that surround it. That it took ¼ of a 315 page book to do it (a conservative estimate) is a testament to the intricacies of and the psychological motivations behind this cultural /religious practice.

Learning more about veiling alone made this study one well worth reading. But the surprise for both the reader, and-as explained by Ms. Abu-Lughod-the author herself is the discovery of this culture's use of poetry. To take it one step further, the insight into how societies in general (at least ours and that of the Bedouins) similarly use their poetry and relate to it.

Abu-Lughod finds that poetry is used somewhat differently among women in the Awlad ` Ali tribes than it is used by men. Because I am writing my own book of poetry called "Skyscapes: A Woman's View," I was especially interested in this aspect of "Sentiments;" it also was, by the author's own admission, an amazing and important cultural discovery. A group of women in China have their own secret language apart from the men; now this anthropologist brings to our attention how the poetry and veiling customs of these women reveal their emotions and are rooted in the traditions of a society in which they live quite separately from men.

Though this book is not meant for mainstream readers, I hope that many who have no ties to anthropology will make an effort to read it. I believe that women will find it especially interesting but men will also find pertinent information for today's political climate within its pages. No amount of travel could impart the depth of understanding of this culture, and-by extension-similar cultures that this book does.

(Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of "This is the Place..." )

A Very Special Child invoked wonderful stories told to me of my adoption. It is a great read for adoptive parents and children alike. Debra has a way of making the reader feel the love she shines on her special boy and has you experience the gratitude of such a gift. She has reminded me of the fortune in people's lives who have experienced adoption.

This book should be amongst every adopted child's keepsakes, signed by Mommy and Daddy. There is deep passion and love for an adopted child painted by Debra's words. Read every page and be touched by a mother's love for her child.

To Whom it May Concern:
I just finished reading a wonderful children's book, titled "A Very Special Child." It explains adoption in a very loving and spiritual way; in a way that a child can understand.
In addition, this book not only tells the story of Christopher, the son she adopted, but tells the story from her heart. It brought tears not only to my face, but also to my heart.
Ms. Welch expresses, in her writing, all of the love, hopes, and courage, she has. She loves her child, her son, with all of her heart.
I am the mother to a special needs child. Mine is a man grown, but still a child in his mind. I
know the profoundness of the love that Ms. Welch feels for her child. Like Ms. Welch, I had always
wanted to be a mother from the age of 8 years old. Like Ms. Welch, my child came later in my life.
Mine is my birth child. Ms. Welch's is the child of adoption, but never the less, still a child borne of her heart. No other love exists as strong, as special, as deep as that of a mother towards her young.
I would strongly recommend this book for any parent, especially those that are thinking of adoption, or for any parents that have a natural child, but are contemplating adoption? This book will help both the natural child as well as the adopted child understand.

A Very Special Child by Debra Shiveley is a wonderful book written with child-like wonder. Debra removes the stigma of adoption by showing adopted children everywhere that they are indeed special, wanted and loved. Debra demonstrates how the birth mother served a significant role in preparing the gift of a baby to a very loving family in simple easy to read terms. She demonstrates through magic and wonderment how nothing is an accident; all is within God's divine plan.

Her essays and poems reveal the many aspects of parenting: the yearning for that perfect child, the joy of parenting, the everyday routine of mother and child relationship to the twinge of pain when a mother realizes her child has grown up. Debra crosses generations and demonstrates how this love continues from mother to grandmother and beyond. In all of this she maintains that there is no such thing as an imperfect child. Like the butterfly which cannot fly, a child with an imperfection is still and always will be perfect in the sight of God and always first and foremost a very special child.

Carol Roach, M.Ed, BA

[...]
Author of "Picking Up the Pieces" and

"Angels Watching Over Me"

In this heartwarming book by author Debra Shiveley Welch, we are privilaged to experience the depths of her love and thankfulness for her adoptive son
Christopher. The author takes you on a journey from her and her husbands head-bent prayers to their God asking for a child, receiving their blessing and the child's growing years. Very touching, very sensitive.


In her work, Ms. Welch tenderely tells of the Lord giving attributes to her yet unborn son while in the womb of the frightened young mother. God takes some sweetness from the Cherubs, sweet music from the birds, laughter from the dolphins, and wraps them in love from the mother placing it all carefully into the spirit of the unborn babe. A beautiful gift of life waiting to be unwrapped and cherished. Waiting to be placed in the arms of a loving mother and father.

This is a wonderful work that any adoptive parent, or any parent that truly knows how blessed they are, could give to their beloved child to show them how much they are loved and how special they are. It is filled with wonderful poetry and essays of experiences shared and life lived. A delightful, heartful work that I am proud to recommend.

Shirley Johnson
Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review

"Every day He wants the sun to shine and the roses to bloom in our lives. He wants all of us to enjoy His very best. I'm perfectly imperfect and often "mess up," but God loves me anyway, in spite of myself. Above all, He knows my heart. ~Pat Brannon

"You're Steppin' On My Heart" is a collection of poetry that shows the power of God's love and how we can draw on that power through our own decisions.

Pat Brannon explores a variety of topics through lyrical meditations. Her poems are at times stories, prayers or even letters. She also wrote poems during difficult times when she struggled with her own human frailty and at times she celebrates the gift of life itself.

Along life's rough and bumpy road, we sometimes crash and burn
Experiencing unexpected twists, there are lessons to be learned
Hindsight gives us knowledge that we didn't have before
Wisdom adds awareness to accumulate and store
~Pat Brannon

Throughout her poems, Pat Brannon maintains a similar style and focus and these poems are a reflection of Pat's inner journey and her love for God. Like all of us, her life is a daily struggle and she expresses feelings of love, contentment, trust, elation, anger, devastation, helplessness and confusion.

In "Letting Go," Pat writes a story of how a woman draws on her inner strength to carry on in life when she loses her baby. She takes a very sensitive issue and explores God's unconditional love in our lives. Then, in "A Heart's Tug Away," she tells a beautiful story of an aged man who is walking in the snow and feeling dejected and lonely. I thought this was her most beautiful poem and it shows how we can all make a difference in the life of a stranger who can then become a friend. "Imperfect World" reveals a world of broken vows and ruined lives.

Pat Brannon deals with so many daily issues that appear in our lives during times of stress and healing. She writes poems about Apathy, Making a Difference, Divine Intervention and Inspiration. Her poem "Cart Before the Horse" is a profound statement. It shows how we have to love first and provide basic care to those in need before they will accept a message of love. In this poem, Pat describes homelessness, hunger, financial issues and how God can love others through actions of heart-felt dedication. I found this book of poems to be spiritually healing.

~The Rebecca Review

People live in Pat Brannon's book. You can see them; you know them. Their lives unfold for the reader...not fairytale lives, but real lives with both the pain and the joy. A spirit pervades this collection, and you feel that regardless of their choices, the people in these poems are not in this alone. You cannot read these poems without being touched.

I know that I'm supposed to review the book, but first I want to say that Mrs. Pat Brannon is a sweet Christian lady. She has blessed my heart since I've come to know her. Pat's style of writing is straight from her soul. Her ability to share her personal experiences and great faith in her Lord is inspirational to all who know her and to all who read her poems. I pray that God will continue to bless her with great talent to share with others for many years to come. Thank you, Pat. Keep up the great work!

Lana Phelps
Publisher of The Good News Messenger

The poetry in Pat Brannon's book is so "real" and "every day" that anyone who reads it feels as though it is about some one they know or even, perhaps, themselves. It expresses the ups and downs, joys and traumas that people eveywhere experience daily. Meshed all throughout the works the reader will find that faith and the work of the Lord are what get us through life's experiences -- that when we stray we are weak and when we draw near to Him we are strengthened.

Each of the poems are a blessing to the reader and remind us that we can survive life's journey.

Pat has a special way of making the reader feel close to God and reminds us that we are not alone even at our lowest emotional point.

Thank you, Pat, for such beautiful words! I look forward to the next collection with eager anticipation.

Martha S. Tubb
Columbus, Georgia
USA

Relax in your favorite chair. Grab a box of tissue and let Pat Brannon take you to a world of pleasant memories and smiles of remembrance as she draws out people, places, and events of your life while sharing some of her own with you. She reaches down into those secret places in your heart and soul and shakes up your emotions. Everyone can relate to the experiences expressed here from the joy of birth to the crushing loss of death and all of life in between. Your heart will soften and you will be different after having laughed and cried through this book as you remember your own special times and quietly say, "Yeah, that's what I feel, too."

NEVERMIND THE BOOK. THIS DUDE WAS ON THE TV SHOW "CHIPS". THATS TOO COOL. 7 MARY 3 LEWIS, WHERES BARICZA?

I [have] had the "honor" of hearing Lewis recite ... It was "truly a blessing". I purchased the book and started reading it on the way home. I'm getting married ... to the most wonderful man. It's as though this book was written especially for us. My fiance' and I both were hurt in past relationships and marriages. I read some of the poems to him that night and he was very touched by them. For over 10 year he has been hurting. I knew there was pain in his life, but didn't know how much until I shared the Chapter III - Love's Goals & Promise, most especially "NOW"!!!!!!. I think it put closure to a lot of pain for both of us. We cried together on several...held each other...said nothing...just accepted each other's love forever. I know that "nothing just happens". God had planned for me to meet Lewis Saunders. Thank you Lord!!! God bless you, Lewis.

I thoroughly enjoyed the poetry contained in this book. I found the poetry to be insightful, emotional, thought-provoking, informative and enlightening. This should be required reading for every woman and man (in or out of a relationship). I was entralled by the poetry because it provided me with a better understanding of what men go through when embarking upon new relationships, ending relationships, etc. I appreciated the poetry because it demonstrated that it is okay for men to share their feelings. The author was masterful in his ability to convey the emotions of men.

I "HIGHLY" recommend that you read this wonderful collection of poetry in addition to sharing the book with family and friends.
Ladies, if you truly want to understand what men want, think and need-this is the book for you!!!!

The soul touching poetry of Lewis Saunders is a therapist's couch bound into a book. Lewis Saunders touches the core of your emotions that have been adversely impacted by the malice of words and actions of those we love or have loved or even worse, by the pain we have inflicted upon others. I walked away with a better understanding of the emotions men experience in the face of painful good-byes and separations.

I am writing this review not because I have to but in honor of my father, Lewis Saunders, the author of this book. My dad has put a lot of time and dedicated hard work into writing and gathering all of these feeling and insight from a males point of view, to give to everyone out there. He is a very dedicated man. To God, his children, and my son. If you miss out on this book, your missing out on a chance of a lifetime to really see the world thru our eyes(men). Give it a chance and I am positive you will love it!! Good reading to all!

I'm really glad I purchased the Wee Sing Nursery Rhymes. It even comes with sheet music! It seems that every song I learned in school is included, plus many more. Now I can pass this on to my son and daughter! Shipping was prompt, which is a bonus!

We were so glad to be able to buy this on CD. Our tapes were so old and really no equipment handy to play, especially in the cars. We played this over and over and over and sang and had a wonderful time going places. My granddaughters are 16 and 19 now and I loved the smiles on their faces when I gave them their very own CD. Thanks so much.

One thing I'd like to add to the other comments is that you might want to search inside the book to see the list of rhymes and lullabies as well as a sample of the notes for two of the songs which you can play on the piano if you like.

My three grown daughters remember all these songs from having the cassettes when they were little. Sometimes when we're all together, someone will break into spontaneous song from one of the tapes and we all join in. It brings back great memories from our many car trips. I still have the cassettes, but no cassette player, so it was time to upgrade for my 18 month old grandson. His mom has been singing these songs to him from Day 1. All these Wee Sing CDs will become a family treasure! You won't go wrong on any of them.

My Mom and I used to quote that every time we would go on a trip. This is easily one of the best Wee Sing tapes, now available on CD. My cousin recently had her 2nd baby and I bought it for him. And since my Mom had the NERVE to sell our original copy of this one in a garage sale, I just HAD to download it to my iPod before wrapping it.

The nursery rhyme part of it, is also set to a story of Georgie Peorgie, Jack and Jill, and Mary going to King Cole's Birthday party, and on the way meeting other Mother Goose Characters.

Here are some interesting facts and trivia on some of the nursery rhymes and lullabies.

THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL. Originallly titled "JEMIMA," was written SURPRISE! SURPRISE! by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow about his daughter about a time that she misbehaved. Everyone knows the first verse. But there are two other verses that are almost never anthologized.

One day she went upstairs while her parents unawares.
Sitting below were at their meals.
She stood upon her head on her little trundle bed,
and then began hurraying with her heals.

Her Mama heard the noise and thought it was the boys
A playing at a combat in the attic.
But when she climbed the stair and saw Jemima there
She took and she did Spank her most emphatic!

LUCY LOCKET If you own this product, you'll remember that the poem is sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle. What you may not know is that Lucy Lockett is the main tune and that the yankees got the melody for Yankee Doodle from Lucy Lockett.

GOOD NIGHT TO YOU ALL Isn't really a lullaby, but it was a round dating back to the 19th century often sung by quartets in hotels and such as a finale.

EARLY TO BED Was written, believe it or not by Benjamin Franklin. And was used as a way to get children to go to bed on time.

SWEETLY SLEEP Is a parody of a Czech Christmas carol called "ROCKING," which you will find on "Wee Sing for Christmas." Either song gets me in a Christmas mood no matter what time of the year it is.

All in all, this is a first rate recording and perfect for the young and the young at heart. So if you or anyone you know is about to have a baby, go ahead and buy it. You certainly won't go wrong.

To add to the ranks of the surprised ones... It was boringly browsing the other day through my landlady's bookshelves, and I found an intriguing volume of prose called "Seasons at Eagle Pond" by a name that rang a bell but didn't quite make it to my conscience... This was only a few weeks ago. I began an incessant search for Donald Hall's poems within my collection of anthologies, local libraries and the Internet. Then I purchased "White Apples and the Taste of Stone" and my embarrassment for not knowing Hall previously only yields now to the pleasure and comfort of having, at last, come across him. These are human poems; they speak to you and befriend you; later they may haunt you... Among them you will find pieces that are witty, fast, meditative, funny, horrific, mad and yes, very very sad. This collection exudes the world and vision of a keen observer of life. It will leave a reek of charged life around you! Simply great.

Donald Hall, past Poet Laureate of the United States, has had a long and fruitful career. This compilation is well done - hardcover, good paper, clean printing and attractive typeface, and includes Hall's best work. His poems can make you laugh, or sigh, or weep. This is a "must have" for anyone who loves and values poetry.

Having met Donald Hall and reading his poems, I am convinced he is a modern day Robert Frost. If you love poetry read this book. If you love New England read this book. If you truly love life as Mr.Hall does, read this book!

Even a baseball fan , such as myself will love this collection of Poems. I knew Donald Hall from his baseball writings and love of the game. Now as U.S. poet laureate, I had to see more of hime as evidenced by this book. Not a one night read, but a pleasure to pick up and dwell on and savor slowly.
Ernie Grassey

I feel somewhat embarrassed to say that Donald Hall was not a poet I was familiar with until just recently. And what a great thing I have been missing. I realized that Donald Hall was in a very old anthology I have from 1963 called "The Modern Poets." There is a jaunty photo of him smoking a cigar. The Bio does not mention his wife Jane Kenyon.

What a powerful effect these poems had on me. The come alive in a way I cannot accurately describe. They bring me closer to things I seem to remember, and with simplicity and depth, deliver the earth to my feet. Don't take my word for it. Take a look into this world for yourself.

Why the Ships are She? Because Terri Ford says so, and with the authority of a true artist. These poems are full of heart and wit and wisdom. They speak directly, intimately to the reader, and once they have your ear, they tell you things worth hearing, that you've never been told before! I love this book, and would give it six stars if I could.

Don't read this book if you're faint of heart. It will melt your teeth. It will save your soul. These poems stare back at you, as the poet writes about a snakey mating ritual, with "mouths/ full of needles, wide/ as bejesus, sleeping // in the hyacinth marsh." Terri Ford is the grand anaconda mama incarnate, with enough passion and humor and absolute delight in language to help us all through the darkest day.

Imaginative and truly original - as surprising and fun as the poet herself.

This book is heartbreaking and hilarious, much like life when you've got the right attitude. Ms. Ford certainly does. I reccommend this book to anyone in need of a kick in the pants. Ms. Ford treats words like tinker-toys and reminds us that poetry is indeed fun.

Terri Ford's _Why the Ships Are She_ is in a total delight--all glee, wit, charisma and surprise. She's one of those rare poets who understands that humor and seriousness can, and should--really, must!--co-exist. There's not a pretentious or a sentimental bone in her body, and that means she gets to real emotions in all their complexity over and over and over again. I love her jumpy, skippy, tricky syncopating rhythms. Terri Ford has a great ear, a great heart--and writes great poems. Buy this book right now! You'll recommend it to your friends. And you'll realize all over again that fun is a wonderful, serious, poetic business.