Amazon Quill and Parchment Book Store Category:  Poetry Publisher: Quill and Parchment Press ISBN-10:  0976424401 Pages: 43 Copyright: june 2003 Poetry... Just songs without music. I Said Coffee I said coffee I didn't say, "would you like to cup my warm soft breasts in your un-calloused, long, tapered, ring less fingered hands?" I said coffee I didn't say, "would you like to run your tongue along my neck just below my left ear-lobe?" I said coffee I didn't say, "would you like to hold me in your arms and feel my heart skip beats as you press your hard lean body up against mine until I melt into you with desire?" I said coffee as we stood there in the jasmine scented night my car door like some modern day bundling board separating us, protecting us from ourselves and lust I said, "would you like to go for a cup of coffee?" I didn't say, "would you like to brush your lips across mine as you move silently to bury your face in my long, silky, raven black hair?" But you said, "I can't I'm married I can't trust myself to be alone with you." so I looked you dead in the eye and repeated "I said coffee"

A Fine Collection by a Distinctive Poet.
Sharmagne Leland-St. John-Sylbert writes straight from the heart as true poets do. Unsung Songs exhibits a wide range of interests, themes, and tones, from the romantic lyricism of 'Oh Life,' exemplified by these lines: 'Love where have you gone / Just when I thought I'd found you / Snowflakes dance like feathers round my head' to the deadpan puncturing of the male ego and its assumption of sexual implication where there is none in 'I Said Coffee.' A woman thinks of her loved one who is far away in 'I Sing You the Morning,' whose opening lines speak with elegance and simplicity, while 'I Will Dance for You' addresses issues of racial and cultural slurs, discrimination, sensitivity, and tolerance in language that is uncompromising in its principles without being didactic or combative. Unsung Songs demonstrates that Sharmagne Leland-St. John-Sylbert is a distinctive poet who breaks her own trail with clarity and vision. This is a book to read and return to with ever-renewed joy.

Reviewed by Dave Matthews

A Very Enjoyable read
The poetry in 'Unsung Songs' is crisp and full of beautiful imagery. The heart of this poet shines through the work it is read I would strongly recommend not only to those who already love poetry, but even to those who ordinarily would not pick up a book of poems. The pieces in this book are engaging. They will not confuse the average reader but will also challenge the most avid poetry reader. Enjoy!

Reviewed by: jacob erin-cilberto