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At the Foot of the Mountain
At the Foot of the Mountain is a poetry collection that moves through memory, place, and the hard work of healing. The book shifts between nature scenes, family wounds, cultural identity, and quiet moments of reflection. Every poem feels like a step on a long trail where grief rises, settles, and rises again. Some pieces glow with the warmth of sunlight after rain. Others sit heavy, shaped by loss, longing, and the effort to understand where a person truly comes from. What ties it all together is a steady pulse of hope, small but stubborn, that shows up in forests, mountains, and even the kitchen.
Reading these poems, I found myself pulled in by how raw and tender the writing is. The language is simple on the surface, yet it carries so much under it. I felt a real ache in pieces about mothers, heritage, and complicated love. Some poems made me pause just to picture the scene, like the quiet watchfulness of a deer or the weight of snow on a birch leaf. The book mixes softness with sharp edges, and I liked that contrast. The emotional rhythm jumps aroun,d and I enjoyed never knowing if the next poem would sting or soothe.
I also appreciated how the natural world is used to talk through emotional pain. It is dirt, wind, and cold water. It is trees that fall and birds that migrate, and a trail that forces you to keep walking even when you would rather curl inward. The writing is unpretentious and heartfelt and sometimes unpredictable, which makes it feel alive. Now and then, the imagery overwhelmed me a little, but even that felt like part of the experience. Healing is messy. Memory is messy. The poems let that mess show.
In the end, I walked away feeling moved. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy intimate poetry rooted in nature and personal history. It is a good fit for anyone drawn to stories of recovery told in small, vivid fragments.
Pages: 98 | ISBN : 198911945X
Surviving Cancer: Poetry and Prose
Surviving Cancer is a blend of poems, short reflections, and spiritual notes that trace Frederick Douglas Harper’s journey through cancer, aging, gratitude, and faith. It moves from personal stories about illness and recovery to broader meditations on history, injustice, friendship, love, and the fragile beauty of life. Many pieces are short and direct. Others feel like private conversations caught on the page. Across the book, Harper circles back to survival, divine protection, and a deep belief that life still has purpose for him after cancer, a theme he states openly in his introduction and early poems such as “Cancer: A Sweet-and-Sour Experience” and “God Had My Back.”
Reading this book felt a little like sitting with someone who has lived many lives and refuses to hide what any of them meant. I found myself pulled in by the plainness of the writing. It surprised me how steady and open his voice stayed, even when he talked about pain or fear. I felt that steadiness most in the pieces about his surgery and chemo, where he shares his relief, his gratitude, and even his frustration in simple, almost conversational lines. There was something honest in how he chose clarity over polish. It made me slow down and listen.
What moved me most was how wide he cast his net of concern. On one page, he reflects on his own scars. Next, he is calling America to stand up to injustice, to mourn the Trail of Tears, or to speak softly to someone who feels broken. I felt warmth rising off these pages. I also felt a kind of stubborn hope. There were moments when I wanted the book to push deeper into the contradictions of survival, but even when it didn’t, I could feel Harper’s heart working hard to stay open. That sincerity hit me harder than I expected. It reminded me that writing can be a kind of prayer or maybe a hand held out to strangers.
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy reflective writing, people who are healing from illness, anyone who leans toward spiritual or faith-colored poetry, and anyone who wants a book that speaks plainly about gratitude and survival without pretending life is perfect. It drifts and circles back, yet that wandering shape fits a man who has lived through fear and come out wanting to share whatever wisdom he has gathered. I felt comforted, and I felt nudged to think more tenderly about my own life.
Pages: 175 | ASIN : B09RSVZ32H
HAIKU FOR YOU A collection of simple haikus for early readers.
Poetry and poetics often take a back seat in books for young readers. That is a missed opportunity. When children encounter poetry early, appreciation tends to grow naturally over time. This effect becomes even stronger when the focus is clear and approachable. Haiku, with its compact form and playful precision, is an ideal place to begin.
This book introduces young readers to haiku in a way that feels inviting rather than instructional. Children explore the form through a delightful collection of poems centered on penguins bursting with personality. Each poem feels lively and expressive. The result is a charming blend of structure and storytelling. Narrative skills are quietly reinforced, and vocabulary expands along the way, all while readers spend time with these curious, endearing birds.
Haiku for You by Anthony J. D’Amato is a children’s book devoted entirely to haiku. It is especially well-suited for ages three to seven, given the tone and subject matter. Still, anyone interested in a quick and enjoyable introduction to haiku will find something to enjoy here.
Haikus are sometimes seen as intimidating due to their strict rules. Yet those same constraints are what give the form its striking elegance. This collection makes that point clearly. Many of the poems are lighthearted, even silly at times, but they remain beautifully crafted. The contrast works well and keeps the reading experience fresh.
This is very much a learn-as-you-read book. Educational value is woven throughout, never feeling forced. Just as important, the author’s enjoyment of language is evident on every page. That sense of fun is contagious. It recalls the spirit of Dr. Seuss, where playful experimentation lifts the entire experience. The joy behind these haikus becomes clearer the longer you linger with them.
Both children and adults will enjoy watching this penguin cast move through their world in neat, poetic lines. There is warmth here, along with wit and imagination.
Haiku for You offers knowledge, creativity, and visual appeal in equal measure. The engaging illustrations and D’Amato’s confident command of haiku make this a pleasure to read. It has all the makings of a bedtime favorite, one that families return to again and again.
Pages: 36 | ASIN : B0F4PXF1CZ
Dirty South Haiku
Dirty South Haiku sketches a childhood and young life shaped by family legends, Southern landscapes, and the mix of sweetness and grit that sits in so many memories. The book moves through tiny scenes. Grandmas with sharp edges, gumbo secrets, cousins who grow strange, drums and guitars, pageants, honeysuckles, hot sauce, hoodoo, moonshine, and music that hums through it all. Each haiku captures one quick flash. Together, they paint a loose but vivid portrait of a Southern girl growing up around beauty, chaos, and deep roots.
While reading, I found myself smiling at the warmth tucked into these short lines. The poems feel plainspoken and familiar. I liked how the author keeps the tone light, even when hinting at hard things. Nothing gets weighed down. The rhythm stays airy. A poem might nod toward heartbreak or trouble, then slip into a memory of food or song. That contrast felt honest. Life in these pages is messy, yet the speaker holds it with affection. I felt that softness, and I enjoyed it.
Some scenes passed so fast that I wanted a fuller picture, but that is part of the charm. The book plays with nostalgia in a way that feels almost slippery. One moment, we are with a machete-wielding grandmother. Next, we are at a pageant. Then, suddenly, moonshine under a night sky. The jumpiness gave the book a dreamy, scrapbook vibe. I loved that loose flow.
I would recommend Dirty South Haiku for readers who enjoy poetry that is easy to slip into and full of mood and memory. It fits anyone who likes Southern culture, family stories, or short poems that carry a lot of heart.
Pages: 39 | ASIN : B0DXQG5C42
Is There Not A Cause? (2014-2025)
Reading Is There Not a Cause? felt like diving into eleven years of someone’s life all at once. The book moves through storms, heartbreak, faith, rage, pride, fear, temptation, joy, reflection, and rebirth. The poems hit like quick flashes of memory, then long moments of confession, then hard truths about a broken world. The author brings God, struggle, trauma, race, desire, loyalty, and self-accountability into view and spins them around until they blur into something raw and human. I finished it feeling like I had witnessed someone fight through their own darkness and keep getting back up, no matter how messy the fall.
As I worked through the poems, I kept feeling this heat in my chest. The writing is straight from the gut, no filter at all, and sometimes it shook me because the voice is so exposed. There are moments when the author talks about faith with steady hope, then in the next breath, he crumbles under frustration. That mix felt real to me. Life flips like that. I appreciated how he never pretended to be perfect and never tried to make his pain sound pretty. Some poems burned hot with anger. Others were soft in a way that caught me off guard. I liked that unpredictability. It made the book feel alive.
The book hits you with one emotion after another. I admired that intensity. It felt like the writer refused to hold anything back. The honesty gave the work its power. I also enjoyed the wide swing between personal reflection and social commentary. One page dives into relationships that fell apart. Another page calls out violence, corruption, and spiritual decay. It is chaotic at times, but the chaos felt intentional. It mirrors the world we live in.
I walked away feeling like this book is for readers who want truth more than comfort. It is for anyone who has battled themselves, prayed for change, fallen hard, gotten back up, and kept moving even when life hit them from every angle. If you like poetry that talks plain and feels heavy and relatable, this book will speak to you. And if you are in a season where you need to feel seen, this collection has plenty to offer.
Pages: 128 | ASIN : B0FP76VCCM
Bethesda
Bethesda is a collection of poems that moves through faith, pain, identity, womanhood, and longing with a voice that is raw and unguarded. The book feels like a spiritual and emotional journey, one that circles back to God again and again while navigating the heaviness of lived experience. Each poem stands on its own, but together they read like a layered confession. Grief, hope, Blackness, gender, memory, and divine yearning all braid together. The writing pulls from moments of despair and moments of revelation. The themes feel deeply personal yet still universal.
Reading this book stirred something in me. I kept feeling the author’s honesty press against me. Her words feel unfiltered in a way that made me stop more than once just to sit with the weight of what she had said. Sometimes the writing felt soft and vulnerable, then suddenly sharp, almost like a cry I wasn’t prepared for. There is a rhythm in these pages that made me sway between empathy and awe. The way she writes about faith hit me hardest. It felt like I was watching someone reach for God through fog. I felt the hunger in the lines about doubt. I felt the exhaustion in the moments she confessed her confusion.
I also found myself loving the poems that center on Black identity, womanhood, and generational ache. There’s courage in the writing and also a kind of weariness that comes from living too much too early. Sometimes the poems wander. Sometimes they dig straight down. But the variation gave the book its shape. I enjoyed how the language feels both poetic and conversational. There’s an unpolished beauty here. Some lines left me feeling protective of the speaker, and other lines felt like a rallying cry. I especially appreciated how the writer handles inner conflict. It isn’t neat. It isn’t solved. It just lives on the page.
I walked away feeling like this book is for anyone who has ever fought with themselves and still tried to choose hope. It’s for readers who want poetry that feels lived in and not curated. It’s for people who are navigating faith or identity or heartbreak and need a voice that says I’ve been there too. I would recommend Bethesda to those who enjoy emotional, spiritual, and introspective poetry that doesn’t shy away from the hard parts of life.
Pages: 109 | ASIN : B0F7HZJX6D
Words for a Wounded World: Scriptural Poems of Truth and Hope to Awaken, Convict, and Heal
Mark Richard’s Words for a Wounded World is a striking collection of scriptural poetry that bridges devotion and art. Structured in four parts, it journeys from the foundations of faith to the trials of endurance, calling readers toward reflection, repentance, and renewal. Each poem is rooted deeply in Scripture and followed by supporting verses, reflection questions, and prayer prompts, turning what might have been a simple poetry book into a comprehensive devotional experience.
The opening poem, “From Fig Leaves to White Robes,” immediately reveals Richard’s strength as both a poet and teacher. His retelling of humanity’s fall and redemption through Christ captures the tension between sin and grace with vivid simplicity. The combination of biblical narrative and lyrical rhythm sets the tone for the rest of the collection, earnest, reverent, and unashamedly focused on God’s mercy.
Throughout the book, Richard writes with pastoral sincerity. Many of the poems were originally written for individuals he ministered to, and that intimacy infuses each line with authenticity. His words are direct and urgent, reflecting his desire to reach those caught in spiritual struggle. At times, the tone feels intense, more prophetic than poetic, but it remains grounded in compassion rather than condemnation.
Several poems stand out for their emotional resonance. “Think Again, Let Christ Define” is particularly compelling in its treatment of identity and mental renewal, reminding readers that transformation begins in the mind: “Your thoughts, dear soul, are not benign—They shape your heart, your path, your mind.” Similarly, “Believe in Prayer” offers a tender reflection on faith’s persistence, inviting readers to approach God with both confidence and humility.
By the end, it becomes clear that Words for a Wounded World is not meant for hurried reading. Its structure, poem, Scripture, reflection, and journaling space encourage contemplation and engagement. It is ideal for those seeking a devotional guide that combines poetic beauty with spiritual depth.
This book will particularly resonate with readers who appreciate Scripture-centered writing and desire to deepen their personal walk with God. Thoughtful, sincere, and rooted in faith, Richard’s work reminds us that even in a wounded world, the Word still heals.
Pages: 135 | ISBN : 13: 978-1-63746-564-6
The Savior and the Shadow Queen: A Fantastical Tale Told Through Sequential Poems
The Savior and the Shadow Queen is a story told through poetry, unfolding in layers that mix fantasy and raw human emotion. It begins as a mythic tale of Eselli and Nabseatsi, two friends who set out to defeat a terrible enemy called the Shadow Queen. Their world feels ancient and mystical, full of prophecies, weapons, and dark magic. But as the story progresses, that fantasy begins to fade, and the truth emerges. Eselli is Leslie, a young woman living in the real world, grappling with grief, guilt, and the haunting weight of loss. The Shadow Queen becomes something much deeper than an external enemy; she is the darkness inside us all, the reflection of our pain and self-hatred.
McAfee writes with such openness that it’s hard not to feel what Leslie feels. Her pain, her confusion, her desperate hope for healing, it all comes through in the rhythm of the poems. The fantasy world works beautifully as a metaphor for mental illness and self-discovery. I loved how the story shifts from myth to memory, from sword and prophecy to hospital rooms and recovery. That transition hit me hard. The writing itself is simple, almost deceptively so, but it carries deep emotion. It’s the kind of poetry that doesn’t need fancy words to make you feel something, it just does. The pacing feels natural, the imagery vivid, and the emotions raw enough to make you pause and sit with them.
I could feel the compassion in McAfee’s voice. The book doesn’t wallow in sadness, even though it’s born from it. It offers forgiveness, for oneself, for others, for the past. I appreciated that McAfee didn’t sugarcoat the pain, yet she gave it meaning. The real-world sections are written with quiet strength. There’s hope tucked between every line, and I found myself rooting for Leslie as if she were someone I knew. The author’s choice to end the book with a direct message to the reader was perfect. It felt intimate, like a friend reaching out to say, “You’re not alone.”
I’d recommend The Savior and the Shadow Queen to readers who loved The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Both books explore inner transformation through journeys that seem external at first but reveal themselves as deeply personal. Like Santiago’s search for his treasure, Leslie’s quest to defeat the Shadow Queen becomes a metaphor for finding meaning after loss. But where Coelho’s story leans on destiny and spiritual discovery, McAfee’s feels more grounded in real emotion like grief, guilt, and the slow rebuilding of self-worth.
Pages: 102 | ASIN : B0CH411ZSP
LITERARY TITAN 