The table of contents enables readers to peruse the various works included in this 160 page volume.  Are Fairies For Real? Is the first offering, and I hurried to read, I like to think fairies, little folk, sprites and the like might be real and sitting somewhere close and unseen.  The plight of a grandfather trying to answer a four-year-old granddaughter’s question regarding whether or not fairies might be real is a sweet reading as g’pa explains that fairies only appear at dark, they keep a lantern near to light their way.  And turn the light on for short durations only creating sense that perhaps fireflies are there.  G’pa is pleased that his explanation seems to satisfy the moppet he wants to please.  Then, just as he is feeling that he has escaped the horns of his dilemma; “Thanks, Grandpa.  What about unicorns?”

Other subjects listed in this collection of Storoems and Rhyming Poems comprise a wide diversity of subjects including the tale of a barbarian horde and the heart of their leader told in Two Mother’s Bravery, an introspective look at life in 7 stanzas with title My Life Thus Far, and a poignant look at end of life including Why Did My Grandmother Have to Die, Talons of Death, a Dis Ash Ter, and The Bad Old Days.

Two works are especially poignant, The Tuskegee Airmen and Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial while I Live In A Land of Peace Loving People is thought provoking and profound.

Part 2 of the index lists five political poems This is Not My America, Uncle Sam Has A Rude Awakening, President Obama, United States of Corporate America and The Gulf Oil Spill – 2010 which the writer states are highly opinionated, they are told from what I believe is simply a southern perspective, much as I remember from my own upbringing by my Southern Daddy.  

I have always enjoyed Acrostic poems, and find the ones offered in part three of bard Gilleland’s book of poetry to be nicely refreshing.  Secretariat a horse of legend is best understood by one who has sat astride a noble beast whether in pasture field or on racetrack, Edible Fungi bespeaks of mushrooms of course, the poignant An Unobtainable Dream  leaves the reader pondering where we have all gone so wrong that Peace On Earth seems so out of reach, and Hunting Bargains is an ode to all who enjoy taking part in an Estate Sale.  Ancient Enemies as Hyena Vs Lion gives insight into why modern dog may hate the cat.  The ‘River Horse’ helps us understand the Hippopotamus.

Free Verse Poems are found in section 4.  They run the gamut of odes to spring, profound thoughts of Savages, and who they really were, a tribute to an uncle never known, lost in a war fought on European soil during WW2 reminds me of my own uncle lost in France during WW1. It Was Time, Rusty; It Was Time brought tears to my eyes.  The pain felt with the demise of a beloved fur member of the family is wrought well.  The poems continue with a loving memorial tribute to an Auntie, a Whitewater Trip, feeding pigeons, the so called glory of war, A Hero’s Tale offers a moving tribute to Huey pilots Cpt Ed. W Freeman and Maj Bruce P Crandall whose bravery and stalwart courage were finally recognized with a well deserved Medal of Honor for his action during the Battle of Ia Drang, Vietnam, Nov  1965. 

America is a Christian Nation offers much to consider, ponder and perhaps lament.

Drought, summer heat and reprieve in the form of rain are heralded, among the collection of 29 free verse poems.

The book closes with a Bit of Lagniappe.  While this is a book of poetry writer Gilleland reminds us that he also writes prose.  A look back to A 1930s Christmas to Remember is a reminisce in the tear-jerker realm, as it should be when telling of hard scrabble and familial love.

The last 7 poems labeled as A Little Bit More Lagniappe round out the book with two of the bards all time favorite poems from 2002 as last.  The Canine’s Howling at the Moon instructs regarding the meaning of the canine call given so that Man might forever remember the misdeed causing loss of perfection; sadly too soon mankind has forgotten.  The Mockingbird Sings at Night is another instructional type ode relating a hopeful note; the nighttime songster sings to offer Mankind hope during all the blackest periods of life as the singing reminds us that life’s beauty, while unseen in the darkness is still present.

Interesting, well penned Read  …   Recommended for all who enjoy poetry and for those who don't   …    yet 

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Reviewed by:  book MOLLY’S REVIEWS   molly martin    

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AMAZON  BIOGRAPHY

Harry E. Gilleland, Jr is an award-winning poet and author of ten published books, four books of his personal poetry and six prose books.

Harry was born in Macon, GA, and has lived since 1975 in Shreveport, LA, making him a proud and confirmed Southerner. He spent two long years living in London, Canada in the snow, ice, and freezing - and I do mean freezing - cold. He moved back south to thaw out in 1975 and has no plans to ever leave the South again. Dr. Gilleland retired in 2004 after twenty-nine years as a Professor of Microbiology at LSUHSC-S's School of Medicine. Since his retirement, Harry has devoted his efforts full-time to creative writing, both poetry and prose, and to editing.

Harry served as Editor-in-chief for 4RV Publishing, a small traditional publisher headquartered in Oklahoma, for three years, retiring in July, 2014.

Harry is quite happily married to his wonderful wife Linda, and they have four adult children and five teenaged grandchildren. He used to share life with a wonderful Corgi named Rusty, but he died at age fifteen, leaving a scar of Harry's and Linda's heart.

Harry is a bird lover, with three seed feeders and three hummingbird feeders in his backyard. Squirrels, opossums, and raccoons visit the seed feeders, along with hundreds of birds of many varieties. Observing their activities has inspired quite a few poems by Harry over the years.

Like most good Southerners, Harry loves football and is a fan of the LSU Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs, plus the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL. Harry's long-suffering wife Linda patiently endures his football fever each Fall.