'A Golden Fuchsia-Laden Girl' is an anthology of 100 poems of whimsy, innocence and longing by Richard Rydon, written and revised between 1957 and 2011. Twenty new poems have been added since the first edition. The hardcover version of the book, 128 pages, costs €16-79.
Excerpt
To the noblest profession
Where is a nurse
For the world in distress;
Who will leave her house
In a pure white dress,
To grace the room
Of a man or a child,
To help or to hold
Or to greet with a smile,
In an hour of need,
At a birth or a death?
There is quite a girl,
And rare as a pearl,
I have seen her
A thousand times;
In the heat of the day,
In the cold of the night,
And I wish she were mine
But I really feel fine,
And she has the world
To put right!
Professional Reviews
Reviews of Poems in the Anthology
A hedgehog’s prayer (Poetry)
And my prayer for little Spikey...is that his Spikes are extra sharp, enough to puncture any tyre of a car that may just run over him.... I love Hedgehogs; miss them, as they don't live in OZ. We used to find them in the hedges all the time in NZ (my home) even found an albino one, and we've nursed many back to health. AAAAAAAAAhhhhh this was refreshing.
A hedgehog’s prayer (Poetry)
Awwww! This is so sweet and very vivid imagery. Nicely written.
Importance of angels (Poetry)
A very intricately woven collection of thoughts to try to decipher what God already knows, enjoyed.
Happy heart (Poetry)
Very soothing and carries so much hope and longing, enjoyed.
Far away (Poetry)
The vastness of not just the sky, but the entire universe is one that will keep mankind wondering throughout the many ages.
Mortal sin (Poetry)
To forgive is a genuinely great place to begin the healing.
Mortal sin (Poetry)
In God's eyes, we are to forgive and not to judge. I forgive and pray for the hurt as we Christians should.
Joy (Poetry)
A time when all things begin anew, enjoyed this very much.
C’est la guerre (Poetry)
Cute Richard and love does conquer all, doesn't it? Nice write.
They’re trying to get me (Poetry)
Interesting piece and very well written.
They’re trying to get me (Poetry)
Very very visual. Well done.
Time to live (Poetry)
A very beautiful, yet very sensitively written piece.
Parody (Poetry)
Nice work, Richard...your view of this repetitive nature of humanity and all of its glory within its intellectual downfalls show not only the present but the unforeseen future that we both know will continue to fall upon this world...unfortunately... nice work...
Familiar objects (Poetry)
The beauty of the familiar graces our days. Loved the last stanza, the bed is dressed for dreams, a unique thought!
Butterfly (Poetry)
A butterfly is very spiritual.
Above the light (Poetry)
A most beautiful and sensitively piece, such truth and clarity, enjoyed.
Love poem (Poetry)
The rhyme flows really well.
We are so lucky (Poetry)
This is wonderful! You have painted with your words a picture or serene peace and a love of life, enjoyed.
To the noblest profession (Poetry)
Nursing - indeed, a noble profession. Glad to see more males entering as they, too, bring compassion and in some ways are better able to connect to some population segments.
We are so lucky (Poetry)
Those of us who have known love [as giver and receiver] -- we are so lucky! That is truly what lasting dreams are made of.
Love’s way (Poetry)
Some nights are just to perfect to mess-up with trivial speech. This is such a wonderful depiction of such a time.
Love’s way (Poetry)
Wonderfully written piece of love's passion between to souls, very moving.
Kitsch? (Poetry)
I can tell you do love Him. Otherwise, you'd be afraid He'd strike you dead if you posted this poem. It is my observation, that He's chuckling at this one and saying, "Richard, glad you came to church, but you do pray a lot better when it's just you and ME."
By the sea (Poetry)
Awwww, so sweetly written.
By the sea (Poetry)
She couldn't stay for tea? How rude!
September sadness (Poetry)
A time to replenish and rest. A time to prepare for a long sleep to awaken in spring when color will burst forth into the sunlight.
Until love sings (Poetry)
Dreams are what guide us to the loves we find in this journey. I enjoyed this work very much. Thank you. Best regards.
September sadness (Poetry)
This is beautiful, Richard. Excellent. (((HUGS))) and love.
God within (Poetry)
Yes, the Creator is not some detached being but lives within all of Creation! One day, eyes and hearts will be open. Love & Light always and in all ways.
Until love sings (Poetry)
Beautifully written, let love's song be heard everywhere.
Until love sings (Poetry)
This is a beautiful poem.
Until love sings (Poetry)
Truly beautiful and a pleasure to read.
Contraband Marriage, traveling along the hemline of loving after incarceration, is a love story written in lyric and free form, set in reality with a different ever after.
