"Hushed movements of leaves
echoing while being stirred
softly by a spring-like
Breeze.
The long rays of the sun
glistening
against uncut strands of hay."
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Minutes of Brilliance, Moments of Madness by Aaron Boxley Trafford Publishing
book review by Omar Figueras
This is a collection of poetry diverse in theme and subject matter. Written between 2008 and 2013, most of the poems are annotated with the date and time; however, Boxley does not organize his collection chronologically. The poems' arrangement is choreographed as to shift the tension in transitions between poems to climb high then dive low, to scale down, then climb again before crashing once more, for a more poignant emotional effect. Boxley mixes ethereal language with the concrete imagery invoking a mixture of the old and the new, highbrow and lowbrow, all at once for a fresh presentation of widely known themes and subject matters, such as the uncertainties of life and self-reflexive, existential questions that have long since plagued humanity.
Most memorable poem in this collection, the one containing the most magic, is "The Christmas Wish," an adorable holiday tale, told in a simple, whimsical rhyme scheme that is a tilt of the author's hat to Clement Clarke Moore and his famous poem, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." The author uses archaic language juxtaposed to contemporary speech to create a hilarious story of the Evil Bunny's attempt to sabotage Christmas, only to be thwarted by an independent and feisty Mrs. Claus.
The author's range is grand, highlighted by his ability to cover vast emotional landscapes quickly; an eagle-eyed overview of vast swathes of thematic topography, as if observed from the sky, flying over his terrain, always searching for something new, something fresh, to appease his desires.