Words of the Times by Thomas Noel Smith

 

Summary:

 

"Words of the Times" is a collection of poems by Thomas Noel Smith which weaves together the complexity of everyday life in a contemporary world and the pangs of nostalgia that bind us to our roots. The poems address the larger questions of reality and the complexity and the joys and pains of living and loving in today's world. The very presence of the world's beauty surrounds us and touches us with the wonders that present themselves our eyes each day, but we, as a harried people, often find ourselves "stuck in stasis." The works in "Words of the Times" are a collection that addresses the complexity of the human condition and our movement and development through time. Some of the works are heartwarming. Some works such as "Words of the Times" are provocative and disquieting, but all the poems attempt to engage the mind and touch the heart.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 112 pages (Paperback)

Source: Review Copy

Available Formats: Print

Publication: January 9th 2013 by Outskirts Press      

 

First off, I've never been much of a poetry fan and the poetry that I do enjoy was written by Milton, Blake, Hughes, Dickinson, Poe etc. So when I agreed to review Words of the Times for author Thomas Noel Smith I knew it would be a new experience for me.

 

I was actually pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed the poetry collection by this author. Out of the 106 poems presented in the collection I found myself drawn to about 80 percent of them and of that 80 percent I really loved about 15 poems.

 

My favourite poems in the collection were the ones that spoke of time. I loved how the author used the poems to describe particular memories he had. I loved the simplicity of many of the poems but felt that some were lacking a punch for me and left me feeling naught.

 

The mixture of feelings described in the various poems was great and I like how they touched on various subjects but some of the poems seemed so similar to one another and I wish certain themes hadn't been so repeated. However I did like that these were written with out pretension and were about the average person's life.

 

Overall, I liked this short book of poetry a lot more than I thought I would and was pleasantly surprised by it. I think the author has a nice gift for poetry and I wish him all the success in the world. I would recommend this book for all those who love modern American poetry with a vintage feel.

 

 

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

 

Liked it!
★★★

 

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