Official Review: The Dove, The Panther, The Spear
Posted: 13 Jul 2020, 13:39
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Dove, The Panther, The Spear" by Lance C. Haynes Jr..]
Poetry is personal. It is an author putting pen to paper and letting loose their emotions in a way that the readers can feel, too, even if the readers have no similar experiences.
The Dove, The Panther, and The Spear is a collection of poetry written by Lance C. Haynes Jr. The book is divided into three segments, “The Mundane Spear,” “The Holy Dove,” and “Mighty Panther, Broken Shackles,” each containing a different number of poems. The first section is the longest with 29 poems, the middle is the shortest with only eight poems, and the last section has 11 poems. Each one was written in free verse and each one has occasional instances of rhymes.
Each of the three sections has their own main topic of focus. In “The Mundane Spear,” the section opens with a poem called “Father God, Mother Earth” that talks about the role of religion in one’s life and sets the tone for the remaining poems. Although most of the poems in this section are about love (and love and loss), there are religious aspects in each poem. I found it interesting that the author chose not to use capital letters (even the word “I” is lower case), but that makes the mention of the “Almighty” and “God” even more stressed since those are the only words that are capitalized. I particularly liked the author’s use of line breaks, especially in the poem “My Lover from Memory Lane” where the author says “you fell in love/but you got up/with hate.”
In the second section, “The Holy Dove,” the poems shift and have more of a religious focus than the first. Whereas God was mentioned in the first section, these poems acknowledge Him more and his presence in our lives. The final section is the most different and focuses on the lives of Black Americans. This is the most emotionally powerful section including some strong poems like “Tales of the Ghetto” and “Princess of the Ghetto.”
Despite the different themes in each part, the collection still feels seamless, like a journey of the author’s faith and life. I appreciate Haynes Junior’s message of faith and love his rhythm and line breaks.
I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars. This is a solid collection of poetry for any fan of the genre, but especially suited for those who like to read about other’s thoughts on faith and the Black culture and experience in America.
******
The Dove, The Panther, The Spear
View: on Bookshelves
Poetry is personal. It is an author putting pen to paper and letting loose their emotions in a way that the readers can feel, too, even if the readers have no similar experiences.
The Dove, The Panther, and The Spear is a collection of poetry written by Lance C. Haynes Jr. The book is divided into three segments, “The Mundane Spear,” “The Holy Dove,” and “Mighty Panther, Broken Shackles,” each containing a different number of poems. The first section is the longest with 29 poems, the middle is the shortest with only eight poems, and the last section has 11 poems. Each one was written in free verse and each one has occasional instances of rhymes.
Each of the three sections has their own main topic of focus. In “The Mundane Spear,” the section opens with a poem called “Father God, Mother Earth” that talks about the role of religion in one’s life and sets the tone for the remaining poems. Although most of the poems in this section are about love (and love and loss), there are religious aspects in each poem. I found it interesting that the author chose not to use capital letters (even the word “I” is lower case), but that makes the mention of the “Almighty” and “God” even more stressed since those are the only words that are capitalized. I particularly liked the author’s use of line breaks, especially in the poem “My Lover from Memory Lane” where the author says “you fell in love/but you got up/with hate.”
In the second section, “The Holy Dove,” the poems shift and have more of a religious focus than the first. Whereas God was mentioned in the first section, these poems acknowledge Him more and his presence in our lives. The final section is the most different and focuses on the lives of Black Americans. This is the most emotionally powerful section including some strong poems like “Tales of the Ghetto” and “Princess of the Ghetto.”
Despite the different themes in each part, the collection still feels seamless, like a journey of the author’s faith and life. I appreciate Haynes Junior’s message of faith and love his rhythm and line breaks.
I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars. This is a solid collection of poetry for any fan of the genre, but especially suited for those who like to read about other’s thoughts on faith and the Black culture and experience in America.
******
The Dove, The Panther, The Spear
View: on Bookshelves
