#BookReviews #Poetry #Myths

Our fascination for myths never wanes and I wonder how did they start! Colleen’s new release answers some of the questions about myths and as usual, she sprinkles them with magic dust. I’ve never believed in magic, yet I look for it everywhere. It holds a cryptic mystery, it lights crevices within me…

So this book was as enthralling as Book 1 by her: Fairies, Myths & Magic – A Summer Collection

Fairies, Myths & Magic: Book 2 – A Winter Collection is enchanting…

If the fairies of A Summer Celebration were fascinating and magical, Colleen’s latest collection – Book 2: A Winter Celebration begins with the darker aspect of the myth of The Changeling. There was a time when faeries stole babies from their cradle and replaced them with a changeling – a faery baby. The story of Alyssa is captivating; told in the most convincing manner, this myth sounds scary. The tale of a witchy woman called Gryla is equally frightening as she descends from her cave in the mountains during the Christmas season and gathers up all the naughty kids for her to make into stew! But Tomte, the House Elf  made me smile and wish that he should visit me to tidy my home with the snapping of his fingers! This book sounds the best when myths are woven around such amazing characters and stories.

Colleen shares a diverse collection of  short stories and poetry, which has been inspired from myths of the dark days of winter. Some of the ancient myths and legends illustrate how the people of our world celebrated the sun’s victory over winter’s darkness. I could relate to the traditions of the Persian festival, which is celebrated with family get-togethers, lit candles and feasts.

Colleen’s poetry is perceptive and she creates magic with her words when she says: “where sand dunes build castles in the air.” ‘Jack’s Frost Fairies’ paint a vivid picture of winter “until all things glittered under the moonlight.” ‘Poetic Spell Craft’ is a brilliant combination of thoughts that spoke to me. There are many such gems in this book that have to be savored slowly.

Sorrowful Soul by Harmony Kent is the cry of a loving soul…

Some people walk away without giving a second thought to the sensitive souls they leave behind, some are snatched away by death – Harmony’s new collection of poignant poetry, immersed in emotional deluge of heartbreak, talks about both the situations though death is more of a symbol for the loss that the poet has experienced. Everyone in this world has to face loss in one form or another but only a few can write such brilliant poetry to reconcile with it. Written in blank verse, the poems appear to be simple but you have to delve deeper to understand the powerful imagery that highlights the profundity of raw emotions.

Tormented by “untouchable phantom,” – a lie called love, the poet captures the yearning, the pain, the misery with a glimmer of hope, which is dying with each passing day, as the images get darker, denial clouds the mind and guilt creeps up; self-blame eats into the entrails of the heart. How could it happen before we “sung our swan song” is the lament that is heartbreaking!

Each poem emerges from a scorched heart, each poem echoes the cry of a loving soul that craves for belongingness. Guilt and anger can’t provide any relief. Death and depression overpower:

“The raven’s croaking caw carries the stench
Of carrion on its vile breath.
As it makes its perch on my slumped shoulders
Blinds me with its scorched-black wings…” I haven’t read a better description of depression! Outstanding poetry!
Thanks for hopping on to ‘Night Train’ and taking a “leap of faith.” You have to read how one can “make a fresh start.”

Thank you. Happy reading!

If you like poetry: click here to hear Magical Whispers

Here is my latest release  Hues Of Hope 

Double #Etheree #ThemePrompt

The Gray Scarf

My 
gray scarf
breathes yearning,
holds warmth of love.
Purchased ages ago,
you promised it’s fragrance 
would never fade from our lives.
Then how did winter winds creep in
to divest us of our solemn vows?
Yet it sings familiar strains of summer,
shimmering with renewed rhythm of hope
that just lies at the bottom of sea
never reaching your empty heart.
Memories of gray scarf crawl,
weary shadows follow
on this Thanksgiving
till paths of love
converge in 
the next
world.
© Balroop Singh

Thanks to Colleen’s weekly TankaTuesday challenge for the inspiration to create syllabic poetry. Eugi selected this month’s theme: The Gray Scarf.

 I chose Etheree, which consists of 10 lines of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 syllables. Etheree can also be reversed and written 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Thank you.

For more poetry: click here to hear Magical Whispers

Here is my latest release  Hues Of Hope 

#Ekphrastic #Poetry Challenge – Crown #Cinquain

I am back after a long, fun-filled vacation, emotional reunions with friends and family after a gap of three years. Though jet-lagged, I am getting inspired by this beautiful challenge. Thanks to David for choosing a thought-provoking image for Ekphrastic poetry challenge this month.

“Ukrainian Figurines” by Kirill Shevchenko (Groder) Image by Кирилл Шевченко from Pixabay

Together?

The day
we all gathered
harmony of colors
depicted the dreams that connect us
with love

that day
we were summoned
by our mentor to show 
the luster of togetherness,
a glow

a show
of diligence,
of emotions that bind. 
our hair color could never change 
the goals

he said:
let’s meditate!
Donna stood tall, erect
Bob stood on his toes to show he’s 
alert 

just few
paid attention
to the artist’s vision
curious Cane watched from the edge
judging!

© Balroop Singh

Thanks to Colleen for the inspiration to craft syllabic poetry. I’ve written a Crown cinquain, a sequence of five cinquain stanzas functioning to construct one larger poem. This poem has five stanzas, each with syllable count of 2/4/6/8/2.

Thank you.

For more poetry: click here to hear Magical Whispers

Here is my latest release  Hues Of Hope 

#TankaTuesday #Poetry Challenge

Paradoxical  Pine

I walk into the forest in the month of October – a mosaic of colors, and wonder why it brightens my mood, adds a smile to my face and warms my heart. There is gold in the air but I have an aching desire to catch the drifting leaves – reminders of life passing by! The pine in my backyard doesn’t care. 

Inspired by colors
mother nature’s lantern adds
a charm to its leaves 
each morning it glows orange 
to match the leaves of neighbors.
© Balroop Singh 

Thanks to Colleen’s weekly TankaTuesday challenge, ( taste the rainbow) which has inspired me to create a tanka prose. Tanka is typically written in the 5-7-5-7-7: a five-line syllabic structure. Tanka prose always contains a title. One basic requirement: one paragraph, and one tanka.

Thank you.

Image from my patio.(pine pun intended)

For more poetry: click here to hear Magical Whispers

Here is my latest release  Hues Of Hope 

#BookReviews: #Mystery #TimeTravel #Memoir

Taking a break from syllabic poetry, I want to share the reviews of some fabulous books I’ve read this month. All four are my favorite authors (The Haunting… has been written by two perceptive stalwarts.) I have read one more brilliantly written book by our wordsmith – Diana. I would share it in my next post this week.

The Haunting of Chatham Hollow gives you a few hiccups in the beginning, oscillating between two timelines and many characters but soon picks up a steady pace and keeps you invested in the mystery as well as seances. A complex plot, ensconcing many stories, it is a combination of supernatural fantasy and cozy horror. 

The style of two authors mingles in a brilliant manner! Who seeks the hidden treasure of Ward Chatham and why? Would Chatham’s ghost reveal the secret? What is the significance of the curse? Many such questions keep gnawing at your heart till the end.

The strength of this book lies in the seances, each one more vivid, more captivating than the other, giving you the feeling of a real scene of a movie. Spiritualists and skeptics provide a balanced view but Ward Chatham adds a weird aura to the story.

Benedict is hardly a competitor for Victor, probably due to his nefarious designs and that is why the latter emerges to be my favorite character. All the characters have been crafted with equal astuteness and the most stunning one is the grandmother of Aiden. 

It is marvelous how all the links are woven together in the end. However, some of the details are superfluous; they hamper the pace of the book and eliminating them could have made it more thrilling. Highly recommended for all kinds of readers. 5 stars reading. 

Geller’s Find by Sandra Cox is an intriguing tale, a combination of western and time travel, with a cozy romance thrown in. True to her style, Cox dives into the story headlong, and keeps a brisk pace, never letting you waver an eyelid. While hiking through the majestic Great Basin, Luke’s love for artifacts leads him into the past, as he hurtles down into a deep hole, “whirling into a tube of rock”and reaches in the year 1882 where he meets Lily, a rancher. The vivid description of his journey, as if he were in an elevator is most captivating. Many questions would crop up in your mind – How would he get back? Will he stay and never go back? How would he find his bag that gets lost? Where would he stay? Can he adjust to the unfamiliar surroundings?

Cox’s characters are most realistic and the way they welcome Luke into their lives is heart-warming. Strong yet tender at heart, Saffron likes Luke but he keeps his distance, as he knows he doesn’t belong to their world. Stryker remains an enigma till the end though Luke is smart enough to see through his sinister plans. There is enough action to keep you enthralled. The book converts into a page-turner toward the end and much is left to the imagination of the reader. Pick up this book, you won’t be disappointed. 5 stars! 

The Winding Road is a poignant memoir of Miriam who was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in one of her organs at the time of her hysterectomy. It was considered to be incurable. She was told that the survival rate was six to twelve months among the patients over the past twenty years. An experimental treatment was recommended and Miriam decided to go ahead with it. Her candid account of the treatment and suffering is extremely heart-rending.  My heart goes out to her, as she had the grit and the determination to walk through the unknown road, never losing sight of her destination. The positivity that kept her going despite the long waits, failing health and side effects of the chemo, is noteworthy. It was the most difficult path, with excruciating pains that she had to bear throughout the treatment, loss of appetite and weight loss.

Her persistence paid off; the blessings and prayers of her friends and family plucked her from the jaws of life-threatening cancer and she could fulfill her wishes of playing with her grandchildren. It requires great resilience to relive those moments while telling the story but Miriam chose to share it and I admire her fortitude. She has also shared some beautiful pictures of her family that reinforces how valuable this life is with our near and dear ones. 5 stars!

Happy reading! Thank you.

– Balroop Singh.

If you like poetry, here is my latest release  Hues Of Hope