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Somewhere the air is clean
Away from the noise;
Where we can dream all day long"
In Grant’s collection of poems
there is an equal balance of uplifting and somber poetry. Through his
words, Grant writes with a beautiful simplicity that exudes a
thoughtful approach to observation and reflection of life. Every poem
touches on universal themes, such as love, loss, faith, and healing
written with a brevity and sincerity that elicits particular responses
of sadness, anger or joy.
The reader might also appreciate Grant’s poems even more by the mere
fact that he is a physically disabled man who suffers from a mental
illness. It is because of this mental illness that Grant took up the
craft of writing poetry. Clearly, he is working through personal highs
and lows where a self-awareness and sense of empowerment emerges. The
title poem, “Let’s Fly,” expresses the desire to find peace away from
noise and worries, indicating a recognizable need to dream and be free.
“Voices in My Head” intimately reveals an inward struggle of
uncertainty and fight against the loss of sanity by imagined voices.
“Street Kid” is a homage to the child who is always treated differently
until one good moment changes everything. And “Scared” addresses the
fear of life itself, professing that being scared can be good and
enables us to live our lives.
Grant subtly and poignantly illustrates throughout his poetry that
while he may be disabled, he is no different. Just like anyone else, he
experiences those familiar emotions of fear and hope. But the overall
message that permeates his writing is acceptance and he even includes a
poem titled “Acceptance,” where he says,
People have to learn to accept everyone,
For if they don’t,
They will not be accepted themselves.