Review of Life Is Unfinished Without The Language Of Poetry 11

[Emmanuella C Arumeze]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Life Is Unfinished Without The Language Of Poetry 11" by Wanas.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Life Is Unfinished Without The Language Of Poetry II is a collection of poems written by Wanas. The book consists of over ninety poems grouped into three chapters that deal with issues like loss and the emotions that accompany it, the beauty of nature and seeming ubiquity, as well as the not-so-easy art of moving on. The book explores feelings like longing, emptiness, regret, awe, and hope, even including poems that discuss more social issues, the treatment of the old, the homeless, and the incarcerated, all of which are characterized by unrhymed lines.

The book features poems like "{Nessum Derma} And None Shall Sleep," in which the author describes how voices of regret can be so haunting that the author becomes an insomniac with a desire to silence these voices. The poem "Most Beautiful" is essentially a love letter to the Canyonlands of Utah, where Wanas poetically captures its skyline, landscape, and wildlife, thus, showcasing the beauty hidden within Utah's wilderness. Perhaps my favorite line comes from the introduction. It gives an insight into the very nature of Wanas' type of poetry and, at the same time, sets the pace for what to expect in this book. It states, "If you listen, you will hear what I’m not telling you... Trying so hard to be honest without telling you the truth."

There are many positives in this book. The author describes his work as “Simplistic realism.” This description is spot-on, as Wanas uses simple language and vocabulary to convey very powerful emotions to the reader. A lot of the poems are characterized by short stanzas and short lengths, yet in almost every line is a deliberate effort to express a strong feeling. The writer also uses imagery and metaphors heavily, describing a scene simplistically while drawing a comparison with an emotion. This can be seen in poems like "Oceans without Shores" and "Hiding Behind." The book also uses poetic devices like personification and analogy while maintaining its short free-verse style throughout its entirety. In a book that is largely about personal experiences, Wanas still discussed issues like pollution and politics which should be commended.

The arrangement of the poems and the chapters seem to culminate into a single story of loss, an attempt at self-rediscovery, and moving forward. This was truly beautiful.

I didn't find any significant problems with the book. There were a few errors, but the book was professionally edited.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I was unable to give this book a lower rating because the faults were so minor, and they did not take away from my satisfaction with the book. I recommend this book to lovers of simple, free-verse poetry.

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Life Is Unfinished Without The Language Of Poetry 11
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[Zeph Dim]

Seeing the title of the book, the first thing that crossed my mind is how really important is poetry to life? But on closer look, the title is referring to the poetic use of words. As an ardent fan of poetic crafting of words, I look forward to seeing the justice the author has done to his works.
By getting 4 out of 4 stars, the reviewer encourages me to pick a copy.

[Diana Lowery]

“Simplistic realism” is a new term for me, but it sounds appropriate for this body of work. I like the examples that you gave for some of the poems.

[Ivan Mukaaga]

“The book explores feelings like longing, emptiness, regret, awe, and hope, even including poems that discuss more social issues, the treatment of the old, the homeless, and the incarcerated, all of which are characterized by unrhymed lines“. This must be a very good book, looking forward to reading this.

[Summer Henrietta]

The themes embedded in this book are applauded.
The review was engaging too.
Nice one.

[Eze Michael]

The author did a good job of writing poems that revolves around various themes. This book also shows a bit of the author's personality. Thanks for your honest review.

[Radhika Nair]

I appreciate this author's approach to poetry. The spaces between the words and the silences between the utterances must be as communicative as the words and utterances themselves. I hope to read this book some time. Thank you for the lovely review.