Review of The graveyard and other poems

[Kavita Shah]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The graveyard and other poems" by Mae Bea Sayes.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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The graveyard and other poems by Mae Bea Sayes is a supernatural poetry book. The book has five parts and twenty-five poems. The five parts are The Cemetery, The Craigs and Moors, Dark Shadows, Other Poems, and Prelude to the Lilac Garden.

I enjoyed reading four of the twenty-five poems. They are called The Sunburned Gaze, Scargo Lake, La Mer, and Early Childhood Memories. The description of the ocean, the lake with the ghost of a princess, and two souls meeting after death was captivating. I enjoyed reading the poem’s account of the author’s early years. If you have read Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, or if you have read poems by poets like John Keats and Lord Byron, you will find many poems based on them. As I had previously read the novel called Jane Eyre, I understood the poem called Jane Eyre.

I had an overall good time reading these poems. The author made something dead, like corpses, and intangible, like ghosts and dead souls, come alive and express deep emotions to the reader. All except two poems are brief in length and have profound meaning. The poet creatively described scenes of snow, moss, and graveyards; there were pieces about souls repenting, witches, corpses, and crows in a cemetery. I learned quite a lot from searching for words and phrases used in the poems. I learned about graveyards, the ides of March, famous poets like Lord Byron, and some Christian concepts of sin and redemption.

However, there were many poems where I struggled to get the point across and ultimately failed to enjoy reading them. I believe that a person who is familiar with the Christian faith and enjoys poetry would be better able to understand these poems than an ordinary reader. I don’t want to imply that only Christians should read this poetry book. But understanding Christian principles will aid readers in fully appreciating the poems’ meaning.

I rate the poems three out of five stars. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions and the many supernatural poems, especially the four poetic pieces I mentioned above. I found no grammar errors, which shows that a professional editor has skillfully edited the book. I deducted two stars as I found it hard to grasp the meaning of some poems because of the words employed and the unfamiliar concepts. I recommend it to readers who like poems about souls, corpses, the sea, and early childhood memories. I would also suggest this to poets who have dived into the classic works of classical writers and poets.

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The graveyard and other poems
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[Sarah Zain]

I love Wuthering Heights it was my first book and the beginning of my love for reading. But The other poems with corpses and things like that it kind set a mood I can't handle. Thank you Kavita for your honest and thorough review.

[Kavita Shah]

I love Wuthering Heights it was my first book and the beginning of my love for reading. But The other poems with corpses and things like that it kind set a mood I can't handle. Thank you Kavita for your honest and thorough review.

That's great. No problemo!
It can be eerie with corpse poems.
I think it's quite mysterious how dead things can be described. How does one know they(souls, corpse) will have these emotions?
You're welcome Sarah!

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

All the poems are new to me. I haven't heard of them before. I am picky about reading poems since most of them use difficult words. When I choose, I'll always sample the book so I'll know I can manage reading. This book seems hard for me to grasp. But your review is wonderful, Kavita!

[Kavita Shah]

All the poems are new to me. I haven't heard of them before. I am picky about reading poems since most of them use difficult words. When I choose, I'll always sample the book so I'll know I can manage reading. This book seems hard for me to grasp. But your review is wonderful, Kavita!

Hello Hannie. Thank you for reading and sharing your views!
I really liked the concept from what I read in the description, and it never crossed my mind to sample the book. I'll keep this in mind when next time I select a poetry book.
I like all kinds of poems because they speak a lot and can mean different things to different readers. I totally agree that some poems sure can be a headache with fancy words.
（//･_･//)

[Sara Nóbrega Bartolomeu]

Thank you for your thoughts on this one. Poetry is really not for me..i always miss the underlying message ahah

[Elina Tshabalala]

What an interesting title. Even more surprising is the fact that the author wrote poems about the dead also. This should be an interesting read. Thanks for the review!

[Smrithi Arun]

I haven't been one to read poetry before, and this one doesn't seem like a good start due to the unfamiliar concepts :(
Thank you for the comprehensive review, Kavita!

[MsH2k]

The poet creatively described scenes of snow, moss, and graveyards; there were pieces about souls repenting, witches, corpses, and crows in a cemetery.

I am a Christian who enjoys poetry and is familiar with classic works, but I am not a fan of pondering these subjects.
To each his own, I guess, especially when it comes to poetry.

Thank you for your thorough introduction to this collection, Kavita. Enjoy the rest of your month!

[Shally Z]

I don't read a lot of poetry but I did enjoy reading Jane Eyre so I might give that a go. Thank you for your honest and thorough review as always

[Kavita Shah]

Thank you for your thoughts on this one. Poetry is really not for me..i always miss the underlying message ahah

That's okay Sara. Read what you like the best, yes. The underlying meaning hunt gets me to read and also the concise and vivid sentences/words. I used to marvel at how do poet analyst find so much from a poem, it was never in the poem(not explicitly), so I try to find out for myself if I get that meaning. They're like a puzzle. （＾ｖ＾）
I'll see you again on another review!

[Kavita Shah]

What an interesting title. Even more surprising is the fact that the author wrote poems about the dead also. This should be an interesting read. Thanks for the review!

Thank you for reading and commenting ElinaT!
One clue to that there will be poems about the dead in the poem is in the title: The Graveyard and other poems.
It is very interesting. I would recommend reading more reviews about this book, there will be more better explanation of the content compared to what I've here.

[Kavita Shah]

I haven't been one to read poetry before, and this one doesn't seem like a good start due to the unfamiliar concepts
Thank you for the comprehensive review, Kavita!

Thank you for reading Smrithi!
Yes, this one will be complex for new poetry enthusiasts. To begin poems, I suggest Hold Your Breath. Easy language, sentences, you'll easily comprehend and also get the emotions and insight. If it comes your way, don't miss it. It's about Pandemic, like a short poem diary.

[Kavita Shah]

The poet creatively described scenes of snow, moss, and graveyards; there were pieces about souls repenting, witches, corpses, and crows in a cemetery.

I am a Christian who enjoys poetry and is familiar with classic works, but I am not a fan of pondering these subjects.
To each his own, I guess, especially when it comes to poetry.

Thank you for your thorough introduction to this collection, Kavita. Enjoy the rest of your month!

Thank you for reading Donna!
Agreed. To each his own. I think, its about what sparks the readers interest. (・∀・）
I like the mystic feeling, afterlife and all.
Thank you, thank you. Hai Hai(Yes In Japanese)! (≧∇≦)/“ (｀∇´)

[Kavita Shah]

I don't read a lot of poetry but I did enjoy reading Jane Eyre so I might give that a go. Thank you for your honest and thorough review as always

You're most welcome Shally! There is only one poem on Jane Eyre, but if you're still interested, then go for it.