Review of Iced Tea Poetry
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Bobbie Wolf
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Review of Iced Tea Poetry
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Iced Tea Poetry" by Greg Stidham.]
Iced Tea Poetry
By Greg Stidham
This book of poems is laid out in eight categories. It has a section for poems relating to nature, sociopolitics, anecdotes, moments, grief, dogs, weather, ailments, and personal. The book contains 79 poems within the categories mentioned above. As structurally as this book is laid out, its poems are not constrained to rhyming or rhyme but are written in free verse.
I am of mature age, and the only poetry I was familiar with was the rhyming type, so when I started reading this book, I struggled a bit, wanting every line to rhyme. By the end of the book, I had adjusted to this style of poetry. Some poems are moving; others are about ordinary situations in the writer's life. Each poem took me somewhere. Away from my present and into a different world to ponder. I see things differently, in a way I had not thought of before. In one poem titled "Heavy Snow," the writer guides the reader through a portal created by a cleared circle on a steamy, foggy window. This opening, made by wiping the glass with the side of a hand, provides a view of the world outside. Calling it a portal changed my thinking and took me through that window.
The section on dog poems is my favorite. Probably because I love dogs. The collection of poems is a journey so familiar to me. I connected with each poem, feeling the joy and the pain.
The writer's last poem of the book is insightful and penetrating and has brought my end to the present. To me, this was an ending that brought disappointment. I wish the writer's book would end with a more uplifting poem to give me hope and to be glad I am alive. To consider my insignificance is mood alternating. Real life is unappealing enough. This leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth, not wanting to read more poems by this author. So this would be my gentle suggestion to the author: to end with a positive poem, enticing me to come back and visit his poems again.
I rate this book 5 out of 5. I was taken away to a place where I could ponder things in a new and different way. Editing errors are minimal, a simple typo where an S should be a T. Nothing so severe to stop the reader from enjoying the read.
I recommend this book to adults, people not bothered by non-traditional writing, and people who like to feel what they read. This book is free of profanity and sexual content.
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Iced Tea Poetry
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Iced Tea Poetry
By Greg Stidham
This book of poems is laid out in eight categories. It has a section for poems relating to nature, sociopolitics, anecdotes, moments, grief, dogs, weather, ailments, and personal. The book contains 79 poems within the categories mentioned above. As structurally as this book is laid out, its poems are not constrained to rhyming or rhyme but are written in free verse.
I am of mature age, and the only poetry I was familiar with was the rhyming type, so when I started reading this book, I struggled a bit, wanting every line to rhyme. By the end of the book, I had adjusted to this style of poetry. Some poems are moving; others are about ordinary situations in the writer's life. Each poem took me somewhere. Away from my present and into a different world to ponder. I see things differently, in a way I had not thought of before. In one poem titled "Heavy Snow," the writer guides the reader through a portal created by a cleared circle on a steamy, foggy window. This opening, made by wiping the glass with the side of a hand, provides a view of the world outside. Calling it a portal changed my thinking and took me through that window.
The section on dog poems is my favorite. Probably because I love dogs. The collection of poems is a journey so familiar to me. I connected with each poem, feeling the joy and the pain.
The writer's last poem of the book is insightful and penetrating and has brought my end to the present. To me, this was an ending that brought disappointment. I wish the writer's book would end with a more uplifting poem to give me hope and to be glad I am alive. To consider my insignificance is mood alternating. Real life is unappealing enough. This leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth, not wanting to read more poems by this author. So this would be my gentle suggestion to the author: to end with a positive poem, enticing me to come back and visit his poems again.
I rate this book 5 out of 5. I was taken away to a place where I could ponder things in a new and different way. Editing errors are minimal, a simple typo where an S should be a T. Nothing so severe to stop the reader from enjoying the read.
I recommend this book to adults, people not bothered by non-traditional writing, and people who like to feel what they read. This book is free of profanity and sexual content.
******
Iced Tea Poetry
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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Helen Waziri
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I relate to your comment about wanting a more uplifting final poem. It’s such a delicate thing about the way that a book closes can linger with us for a long time.
"I read to remember that the world is wide, and that somewhere between the pages, I am infinite."
— Elara Wyn, Letters Between Quiet Hours
— Elara Wyn, Letters Between Quiet Hours
