Stumbled & Standing is a collection of poetry and essays of one woman's struggles and achievements living with the progression of MS. "We all have our moments of stumbling, the test is if we get back up and stand."
Stumbled & Standing is a collection of poetry and essays of one woman's struggles and achievements living with the progression of MS. They are the writings she wrote while trying to understand and cope with the changes and gifts in her life.River's positive attitude and determination to keep moving forward are intertwined throughout the book.
Stumbled & Standing takes you on a journey with laughter and tears. People with MS will relate to River's days of up's and down's while, their loved ones will gain her perspective on living with a chronic disease.
Stumbled & Standing is for all that have ever stumbled.
Professional Reviews
The River Review
Stumbled and Standing…a story of overcoming
The thing I love most about poetry is its ability to let us into the head and the heart of another. We get to experience vicariously, lives, secrets, shadows, pain, hope and success. Poet River Urke provides us a taste of every human emotion in Stumbled and Standing ~ From Diagnosis to Acceptance.
While this collection is tailored specifically to those who are suffering from MS or their family, it is a story of survival that will inspire all. River writes with an honesty that is at times almost uncomfortable, as she shares her story. From coming to terms with the diagnosis, to challenges and hurdles that she has had to overcome, River draws the reader into her experience, bringing forth compassion, tears and perhaps most amazingly, laughter. Her’s is a tale of survival, one that has the happiest of moments as well as the darkest.
The poetry is strong, the prose endearing and the personal essays shared throughout the work will have you laughing and crying with the author. A personal favorite found in the section titled The Stranger Effect …
Am I Drunk
I look in your face
stumbling from the car
purposely forgetting my cane.
Unmistakable instant judgment
is scribbled across your starring
glare while you grab your phone
frowning towards my daughter.
I laugh and turn back to my car
parked in the Handicap zone.
I grab my cane to pass you again
watching you stop the call
not wanting to look at all.
I cannot resist muttering,
So, you think I’m drunk
Well sorry, I have MS.
8/10
The poem above is just one example of the tribulations the author has had to overcome in her struggles. But the heart of this poet beats strong, and hers is a tale of victory.
For those who want to touch and feel a human heart, to celebrate personal milestones through the eyes of the author and to feel the taste of victory as a full life is won over the obstacles of living that come with such a diagnosis, Stumbled and Standing is a highly recommended read.
Order your copy of “Stumbled and Standing…From Diagnosis to Acceptance” Here
Follow River’s blog “A Pocket of Agates” here
Keep your eyes open for River’s latest release “Women’s Obsession with Shoes”…follow the fan page here
Visit River’s website “River’s Bookshelf: with friends” for previews and links here.
http://theriverjournal.org/2012/04/13/the-river-review-stumbled-standing/
Dear readers, this is my third book of poems, and inside are a special collection of what have turned out to be not only MY personal favorites, but also the favorites of many of YOU. Some of these have never been available in print before...
