This collection of poetry examines love, as so much poetry tends to do, but the perspective here is unique. That romantic euphoria and devastating heartbreak are seen as two sides of the same emotion. Split up into three sections, the first and third are polar in their approach, either bubbling with affection or profound in examining what was lost or what was never had to begin with. The middle section offers a little bit of both, tying in experiences that are related to being in love or emotions that come along with a relationship or marriage. The poems themselves also cover a variety of forms, ranging from free verse to sonnets and concrete poetry to haiku. Containing over 100 poems, the poet’s musings on an aspect of life that tends to be powerful no matter how it’s experienced will emotionally reach readers of all ages.

This volume is singular in its focus but powerfully broad in its approach and form. By taking just the idea of love and then presenting it from both a positive and negative perspective, or by applying different poetic constructs to it, the results end up significantly varied and stay fresh. Most poems occupy a single page with only the longer forms stretching to a second, and so readers are encouraged to enjoy at whatever pace suits them best. Love’s prominence as a subject for poetry owes to both the strength at which it is experienced as well as the universality of it, as everyone experiences it in various ways. The author’s ability to look at it and present it in so many different ways speaks to her skill as a poet and her deep understanding of the emotional spectrum.

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