A book of poetry!

This book shares poetry pulled from the pages of my journals from the last 30 years. This is my heart and the story of my life.

I’ve kept a journal rather faithfully for about 30 years now, and for some reason at the beginning of the year I felt a strong desire to read through them.

As I looked I kept wondering if there was some sort of story to tell, or if there was at least something I could share to help others along the way. I realized quickly, what an audacious goal that was unless I intended to use the majority of my journals as an example of what not to do and say.

However, I kept noticing poetry.  Often a poem would appear when it seemed like the simple narrative of life’s emotions fell flat.

I decided to gather them. And when I looked at them together even the hard poems became beautiful. Much like a patchwork quilt, the tiny scraps of fabric holding memories in patterns and print became alive again and useful as a whole.

I’d like to share with you the introduction found in the first pages of the collection:

For the most part, these poems are arranged in chronological order. Part One: Faith of a Child showcases the poems I wrote as a child. These works reflect the only thing I knew that was worth conveying to the world on paper: the truth of Jesus Christ. I loved finding creative words to express what my heart wanted to say to anyone who would listen, or in this case, read. These are offerings of praise and invitations to the reader to worship.

Part Two: Unearthed explores broader themes and reflects the joy I found in writing about hopefulness as seen in “Rainbow Maker,” and poems like “Windmill” simply enjoy the beauty found in everyday life. However, there is also the careful realization that not everything stays the same. Poems like “Together We Go” model a brave optimism for the future.

Part Three: A Silver Grey shares poems that came from a darker time in my life when I walked through difficult relationships and grief. Poetry was a beautiful respite that forced me to view circumstances more objectively and decide what I truly believed in light of hardships. “Provision” is a call for anyone finding themselves in similar circumstances to hold on and trust that God provides. He hasn’t forgotten and He will make a way. There is always a silver hue to any grey. When we hold it to the Light He can make it shine.

Part Four: Awakening shares my most recent poetry. God has redeemed so many things in my life. These poems are a reflection of a new understating of life and new perspectives on hope. “Storied Shell” reminds me that my story is valuable even if it’s not the perfect story I had hoped for as a child. Other poems still have themes of my love for words and writing. “Solstice” is a poem I wrote for my husband and best friend, Ben.  And “The Tree That Stood Beside” is a poem I hope will bring comfort and peace to those who no longer stand beside their earthly father this side of heaven.

It is not my intent for this work to be vague or hold elusive meanings. Rather, I would hope the poems in this collection lend themselves willingly to deeper understanding and enlightenment. My desire is that you are able to feel the heart in which these poems are written and are blessed that someone has cared to venture out, collect, and put something together that can hopefully iron out some of the emotions life inevitably brings. Joy, hurt, contentment, pain, worship—all the poet’s sentiments that make us “a little lower than the angels.”

Please follow this link to view “Poet’s Sentiment” on Amazon.

Enjoy!

Carly