Review of Growth

Joyjim · Post by **Joyjim** » 28 Mar 2022, 06:45

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Growth" by Devon Gillespie.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Poetry is like a delicacy of many subtle flavors. It is the window of the soul. Thoughts and imaginations flow gently or wildly. Growth by Devon Gillespie is a collection of thoughtful poems that stir the heart.

There are about 50 poems in this book. The themes of the poems cover numerous interesting subjects. They include the media, money, love, truth, government, drug, church and state relationship, and so on. The poem titled Music describes music in beautiful and flowery words such as "an orchestrated creation," "a weapon that can never be banned," "a puzzle that heals," and so on. Another poem titled Teacher describes situations that are familiar to teachers in creative phrases such as "Paycheck needs a boost, that’s something I can theorize," "why should I do all this paperwork," "account for everyone, faces are easy to remember," "Problem solving always seems best in a group." Many of the poems flow smoothly in simple grammar.

I had a great time reading through the unique thoughts in the different poems. While the meanings are not glaring, they are not so literal as well. They require a little thought and meditation. This alludes to the depth of the poems. I also find the arrangement of the poems innovative. For instance, the poem titled Teacher came before the poem titled Student, which also came before the poem titled Book.

I love the use of metaphors, rhymes, consonance, and wordplay in the text. They brought life to the poems. For instance, a line in the poem titled Good Grief said, "I can use my imagination to make a magic nation." Another line on page 51 said, "Open mindedness, a mindful mind of master monkey monks." This common feature made the poems interesting.

My favorite poem is titled Alter. It is a beautiful piece that encourages a valuable quality. In simple words, the author describes the value of being open to change. Also, comparisons and creative words subtly explain what open-mindedness involves.

I observed that some poems had confusing word combinations and lacked direction. For instance, a line on page 15 said, "How could I hello other people be proud? Mother earth and father time should always be cherished." These two consecutive lines have nothing in common and are confusing. This is my point of dislike in this book. For this reason, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It was professionally edited. There are many interesting poems in the book. Lovers of poetry written in freestyle will find this book interesting.

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Growth
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Precious_Nzeakor · Post by **Precious_Nzeakor** » 29 Mar 2022, 05:30

I love freestyle poems, not something conforming to the rules of poetry, rhymes, elements, just a bare of ones' true thoughts and emotions. Therefore, I'll definitely enjoy this collection.