Official Review: Fragile body and the world around me

[Laura Lee]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Fragile body and the world around me" by D. Green.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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If a picture can paint a thousand words than poetry is the song even a deaf man can hear. Fragile Body and the World Around Me by D. Green is a unique collection of poems. In beautifully evocative language, the poems put into words Green’s struggles as he goes from being an active teenager to, 14 years later, a disabled adult having to quit work due to the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis.

And the struggles are real. In addition to dealing with balance issues that make it difficult to walk, Green grapples with chronic pain, muscle spasms that produce involuntary twitching, and the humiliation of dealing with the gawking eyes of strangers whose curiosity makes him feel like a side-show freak. Worst of all, however, is having an active mind trapped in a failing body. Green’s poems are the key to the cage that lets his spirit soar free.

If, when you hear the word “poetry,” you think "difficult-to-understand odes written in strict iambic pentameter," Green’s poetry will be a refreshing change. His poems are written in free verse. They don’t follow any set rhyme or meter pattern. Instead, the flow of the poems follows a more natural pattern of thought similar to typical, every-day speech.

This book does not appear to have been professionally edited but this is not a problem at all. Any mistakes are very minor typos, not the misspelled words and grammatical mistakes that can make prose so difficult to follow. The handful of capitalization and punctuation anomalies can just as easily be dismissed as poetic license. This book would make a good introduction to poetry for anyone who would like to give poetry a try but is intimidated (or bored) by the poetry of Byron, Keats, or the Brownings.

The element I enjoyed most about Green’s poems is that they give the able-bodied a rare glimpse into what it is truly like to suffer chronic health conditions. It is a prison like no other. The poetry pulses with the pathos of pure, honest emotion. Not all of the emotion is positive. In fact, much of it is not. In deeply moving words, Green describes “A marathon I’ve just run/But no finish line in sight.” But throughout, his poems also unveil the beauty of true courage: perseverance in the face of overwhelming difficulties.

The one area I believe could be improved upon would be to have the poems organized into sections, categorized by theme. Not all of the poems deal with health issues. Some are about finding love; others, the loss of love. Some of the poems, especially the ones about mothers, I had a hard time understanding. If the poems were arranged by theme, possibly with even a word of explanation from Green, I would have found some of the poems easier to understand, and thus easier to enjoy fully.

Chronic pain can weary the spirit like nothing else. It takes courage to persevere when the sheer difficulty of daily life threatens to leach any joy from living. It takes a singular strength of character to find beauty even in the midst of suffering. Such courage and strength of character shine from the pages of Fragile Body and the World Around Me. I am pleased to give it four out of four stars.

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Fragile body and the world around me
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[NetMassimo]

I'm one of the many people scared of poems due to their formal complexity, so I'm intrigued by one that's easier to read and appreciate. Thank your for your advice!

[Laura Lee]

I'm one of the many people scared of poems due to their formal complexity, so I'm intrigued by one that's easier to read and appreciate. Thank your for your advice!

Thanks for taking the time to read the review! Hey! If you've never read a lot of poetry but would like to give it a try, in addition to this book of poetry, you should try some by e. e. cummings. He was like the godfather of free verse, hence, why his name is written that way. Another one that you might like is Ogden Nash. Nash did not write free verse, but there is a lot of humor in his poetry. He gave us such immortal rhymes as:

"God in His wisdom made the fly,
And then forgot to tell us why."

LOL So, yeah. For someone who has never really gotten into poetry, free verse is a good place to start, and this book is free verse.

[NetMassimo]

Thanks for taking the time to read the review! Hey! If you've never read a lot of poetry but would like to give it a try, in addition to this book of poetry, you should try some by e. e. cummings. He was like the godfather of free verse, hence, why his name is written that way. Another one that you might like is Ogden Nash. Nash did not write free verse, but there is a lot of humor in his poetry. He gave us such immortal rhymes as:

"God in His wisdom made the fly,
And then forgot to tell us why."

LOL So, yeah. For someone who has never really gotten into poetry, free verse is a good place to start, and this book is free verse.

Thank you very much for your recommendations!

[Prisallen]

I'm glad the author was able to find such an impressive way to express himself and "let his spirit soar free." We truly do take good health for granted. He sounds like a very talented poet. Great review!

[Laura Lee]

I'm glad the author was able to find such an impressive way to express himself and "let his spirit soar free." We truly do take good health for granted. He sounds like a very talented poet. Great review!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment!

[Julius_]

Poetry is one of my favorite genre. I really like your opening remarks. Thanks for the review.

[Laura Lee]

Poetry is one of my favorite genre. I really like your opening remarks. Thanks for the review.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review and leave a comment, Julius!

[Lisa A Rayburn]

Freeverse is my favorite type of poetry, both to read and write as well. Just from your description, the deep emotion in this book has me enthralled. It's definitely going on my (ever-expanding *sigh*) to be read shelf. Thank you for such an evocative review. It was a joy to read.

[Laura Lee]

Freeverse is my favorite type of poetry, both to read and write as well. Just from your description, the deep emotion in this book has me enthralled. It's definitely going on my (ever-expanding *sigh*) to be read shelf. Thank you for such an evocative review. It was a joy to read.

Thanks so much for your comment! If you do get a chance to read it, I hope you enjoy it.

[Lady-of-Literature]

I really like this concept and I find it refreshing for people to write poetry about other monumental emotions other than love.

[Laura Lee]

I really like this concept and I find it refreshing for people to write poetry about other monumental emotions other than love.

And free verse is such a great way to get into poetry! Thank you for your comment!