By Faraway
Central Avenue Publishing
2019
192 pages
$14.99 Paperback.
ISBN: 978-1771681834
Book reviewed by Kavita Khajuria
“ I will show this world that it is still beautiful when sad birds sing”
The human experience is shared – and the intricacies of being human. This collection of poems conveys reminiscences, homage, romanticism, realizations and love. The reader hears the poet’s thoughts, musings, contemplations and assurances – with his calm tone of acceptance, brief at times, and elsewhere in more depth. Sweet tributes display, with occasional insights beyond time and space. Melancholic nostalgia encompasses loneliness, loss and the ache of sadness and yearning – with brief background moments of childhood exposure to violence. The reader moves on to hear reflections, loving reminiscences, and occasional expressions of mixed emotions – either personal or conveyed to the unknown, yet with acknowledgement of the need for human connection. Poems conclude to embrace the moment, and with tributes. The reader may come away without knowing the actual personal name of the poet, yet may connect to a deeper essence, moments or memories. Perhaps most striking is the poet’s translation of complex emotions and memories into simple words – those memories that feel so personal – yet translate as potentially universal.
Serotonin 