I Wear The Color Green - A Most Excellent Book In Green!

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This is an excellent book of poems by Cedric L. Jones. I truly like the way he articulated the language of poetry in this text. When I first picked up the book and looked at the cover, I thought it would be about the Green man of the forest; however, I have found it deeper that the Green man of the Forest. I also thought it would be about the army as a unit wearing green, where everyone is all about an army of one. However, it is much further.

The poem, "The Lazy Days of Summer," is one to drift away with especially with eyes closed. It will take you on a journey of butterfly and carpet rides. This is very memory refreshing. Additionally, "In The Mist," is equally refreshing. These leave one with adventure in the heart of taking that step outside the comfort zone and into another dimension where life has a different perspective.

Jones appeared to be opening his heart regarding love in this wonderful book. In the poem, "And I'm Alone," we find verses as such. "What is Love?" enhanced the tone with a series of rhetorical questions. "I Still Keep Holding On' is emblematical of the fact that he will not give up on love, and "Dear Daddy" further break the images down for all to understand. One will find the poem entitled, "Green," on page 31, which show green to be an integral part of the whole.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part is "From the Mind." It is right on point with the theme. The 2nd part is entitled "Some Boys Do," which has a different message from the former.

There are some wonderful list styled poems in the latter section, and/or poem with the list techniques incorporated; such as, "Fingerprints" and "Sigh." The rhetorical question techniques raise many life challenging questions in the section, and the emphasis on the dash is also used to highlight answers and thoughts. Finally, the poems are centered to the left margin, which makes it easier for the eye to follow and read.

This is a most wonderful book to read. It is highly recommended.

Joseph S. Spence, Sr. (aka "Epulaeryu Master"), authored "The Awakened One Poetics" (2009), published in seven languages, "A Trilogy of Poetry, Prose and Thoughts for the Mind, Body and Soul," and "Trilogy Moments for the Mind, Body and Soul." Joseph is a Goodwill Ambassador for Arkansas, and is a US Army veteran.

http://www.TheAwakenedOnePoetics.com/

Absolute Intention by Elias Ahmed - Book Review

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My first impression of seeing the photograph of Elias Ahmed on the back cover of "Absolute Intention" was that he is a handsome man with a penetrating stare, seeming to me to be trying to look "through the photograph" into the soul of the reader. This became more obvious and self evident throughout his writing.

In Elias Ahmed's collection of poetry, each topic is honestly revealed as particular attention is paid to "setting the scene" in the reader's mind for what will follow. From his introductory comments about who he is, where he came from, and why he wrote this book, he continued on scores of topics from his experiences, his faith, his upbringing and cultural influences. His faith is irrevocable in Almighty God as he subscribes to the character traits of love and forgiveness, honesty, education and the pursuit of knowledge. He tells of how to use integrity and faith as a compass in life, and to appreciate each day as it is a "present" to be enjoyed and savored.

Elias Ahmed categorizes his introductions and poems into innately fundamental human personality traits. The obvious ones such as love, lies, pride, friends and humility are then embellished with surprisingly novel topics such as Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, Princess Saima, and one I thought rather gospel in formation titled, Mama Said So. Reading these poems it was necessary to "slow down" and take the time to absorb the feeling behind the words. In a way Elias Ahmed is coy and artistic with his creative license and enjoys the time he spent writing the words knowing they would be read by a variety of individuals of whom he does not know.

One lesson learned stems from Native American wisdom of a Cherokee teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person too."The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replies, "The one you feed."

Although the above excerpt expresses a wisdom not of Ahmed's origin, the concept of feeding the good in yourself, nurturing your faith and providing an optimistic outlook on life will result in having the fundamental respect for yourself and thus be conveyed to all you meet is in fact his own belief.

This book is a personal portrait of the author and expresses wholesome and sustainable values. The cover art of a field of wildflowers which sets a tranquil frame of mind in the reader, along with the pink clouds and rainbow signifying a nurturing earth, as that is the "Absolute Intention" of the poetry of Elias Ahmed.

Barbara C. Miller is a book reviewer for Pacific Book Review. Please visit http://www.pacificbookreview.com/ for more information.