View from the Middle of the Road IV: Pathway to Dreams

Xavier Clark, Daniel Y. Harris, Pete Klimek, Clifford D. Ponder
P.R.A  Publishing (2009)
ISBN 9780982140703
Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (11/09)

Beginning with Xavier Clark and right on through the other three poets, “View from the Middle of the Road IV: Pathway to Dreams” is strictly male-dominated. In her introduction, Lucinda Clark explains this by telling the reader that she wanted to show the sensitive side of the male species. She sets out to prove that men can and do have a knack for writing poetry.

Daniel Y. Harris is the second writer to be featured in this 65-page compilation of various styles of masculine poetry. His work has been featured in many magazines and journals throughout the land. His poetry style is different and shows his diversity. From “Baseball” to “The Last Romantic,” his work is colorful, descriptive and thought-provoking. Mr. Harris is very family oriented in his poetry as is evidenced in his dedications. His offering to this volume gave it an inspiring shot in the arm.

Pete Klimek is the third poet to add his fare to this anthology. His musical background allows him the insight to write with a song in his heart, as is the case in his offering, “Somebody Cares.” Pete has such a unique background, from his days in Prague to his migration to South Africa. His work reflects his love of music and his South African home.

Last but not least is the fine work of Clifford D. Ponder, a man that has written over one-thousand poems. Clifford says that his work is a template through which one may view the effect of time. His poem “Buying a Piece of Time” depicts this exact feeling. With as many poems as Mr. Ponder wrote, it was disappointing not to see more of them offered here, but sometimes that can’t be helped.

“View from the Middle of the Road IV: Pathway to Dreams” was quite diverse and thought-provoking to say the least. I enjoyed most of the offerings of three out of the four poets and I will leave you to wonder which one it was that I didn’t enjoy. With only 65-pages in its entirety, it will make for a very fast read if you are on a bus or plane. I enjoyed it and gave it a B as to grade point. This is because, when you put together an anthology, you can never please all of the people with all of the authors’ works. We are all different, and as such, our tastes vary.