What do we think of when we hear the word “family”? Perhaps brothers and sisters, mother, father, cousins are brought to mind. In the strictest sense, of course these are all family members. But the bond goes much deeper than that. Families share a common ancestry or beginning which is not limited to people.
Man has always had a strong connection with nature. It is the first thing we think of when we want to get away from life’s trials. But, perhaps it is not that we want to get away so much as it is our need to find familiarity, likeness, comfort and acceptance. In nature we find all these things and more:beauty, strength and power, giving and yes, the blemished as well—all things we see in each other. It’s like looking into a mirror.
In Kindred—A Family Portrait, Monica Smith poignantly makes the connection between man and nature, completing the circle of our ancestry. She "carefully weaves human emotions into her poetry as her profound insight lets the reader enter the private world between nature and humanity." (Connie Marcum-Wong) You will never again see a tree as “just” a tree.
Excerpt
Chasing Coyotes
Captivated by their cunning,
We chased two coyotes
Down the back roads
Laughing like children
In the pseudo-safety
Of her convertible.
"There! There they are!"
I gasped, searching frantically
For my camera.
But they had disappeared
Much like her childhood.
And, like her childhood
I wanted this moment
To last forever.
Wouldn't you know it,
The coyotes took off
Down another road,
And ours dead-ended.
Simple Pleasures
Give me a sapphire sky above my head
With stars to guide my way
An alabaster moonlit night
And the golden sun by day
Give me trees to teach of beauty and strength
Flowers in every hue
The rain to quench my thirst for life
For temperance, the morning dew
Give me wind at my back to ease my way
A breeze to cool desire
A gentle breath that whispers love
And for passion, give me fire
Give me the soft green grass throughout my life
On which my feet may tread
But when this body breathes no more
Lay me down in earthen bed
And Let the Rain Fall Down
(Prayer)
While I live
Let the earth come
To know me as her own.
Let the sun bestow
His warm embrace,
The wind gently caress
My world-weary face,
And let the rain fall down
To bless me.
But when I die
Let the earth receive
Me as her own.
Let the sun avert
His radiant face,
The wind guide my soul
To a higher place,
And let the rain fall down
To bless me.
Review for Kindred: A Family Portrait, by Connie Marcum-Wong
When I read Monica Ellen Smith's dedication about the "flowers in her garden" as she refers to her children, I knew that this was going to be a poetry book I would enjoy reading.
In her book Kindred - A Family Portrait Monica carefully weaves human emotions into her poetry as her profound insight lets the reader enter the private world between nature and humanity. This is clearly apparent in her first poem "Too Cold the Winter".
I found each poem to relay a message; whether it be metaphoric or allegorical her poems share a depth of feeling that is both poignant and provocative.
I had the elated feeling of opening a beautiful gift as I read each successive poem. One example is her poem "Kindling":
Kindling
I am an ember warmed by love
Taking comfort in the heat, enkindled
By only one spark from its passion
Given life only through its consummation.
I was very impressed with the uniqueness of Miss Smith's poetry collection and for this reason I find it would be very difficult to choose a favorite. Each new poem becomes my favorite.
As Monica speaks about Time and the relationship between life and death in her poem "Passage" I could relate so well. Her artistry will engage you on a journey of self discovery and retrospection with the peaceful calm of floating down a serene river filled with delightful sounds and sights.
In "Summer's Return" as in several of her poems, her clever use of alliteration enhances the imagery while lending a lyrical rhythm to the ear. Many of her poems brought tears to my eyes with the depth of their beauty as happened when I read "Never Say Never" and "Simple Pleasures".
From the lovely images included to illustrate her work to her inspired poetry this book will inspire YOU! It delves deeply into the positive psyche within us all. If I had to choose just one book to give as a gift this year, it would be this book.
Connie Marcum Wong - Author of Island Creations, Heart Blossoms and Web-Mistress of Poetry Forum "Poetry for Thought" since 1999
Review for Kindred: A Family Portrait by Laurel Johnson of The Midwest Review
"...home is that sacred place we feel we belong." For Monica E. Smith, and in fact for most of us, that place is nature. Forests, lakes, oceans, mountains, flora and fauna are our family, our kindred. Ms. Smith's poetry and Sam Rusztyn's illustrations accent that belief beautifully throughout this comforting book.
Nature provides order, harmony, purity, and grace to humans forced frequently to live in chaos and uncertainty. This excerpt from "(Un)like the Bird" is a perfect example:
But, unlike the bird
Which takes wing
On flights of fancy
In a moment's notice,
I am grounded
By my own uncertainty
"Passage" is an exceptional commentary on the past, present, and future of trees, and a touching metaphor for life itself:
Among the fallen
Lay the ancient ones,
Beautiful in death
As they were in life
Petrified, they remain still
Where once they stood tall
Nodding their delight
In the evening breeze
And yet, as in testimony
To resurrection
They shine in splendor,
Vivid and brilliant, gilded
In morning sunlight
Nature teaches us patience, fortitude, and how to stand through trying times. Humans flounder through minutes and hours where Nature counts time in eons. This excerpt from "Telegraphy" is a haunting reminder of the lessons to be learned from observing the effect of changing times and seasons:
...if you could see beyond
The physical, see beyond
Human perception, perhaps
You could envision the connection
Between life and death, understand
That they are two halves
Of the same whole, perhaps
Monica E. Smith takes readers to "those shallow shoals of Heaven's amaranthine shores..." and beyond in this poetic paean to Nature. Kindred is an encouraging, uplifting joy.
Review by Laurel Johnson
The Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/
Reprint in ebook format of contemporary poetry written in the 1980's as seen and felt by the author. Poetry that explores the past, present and future, analyzing present..
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