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The pounding of a heart
The rhythm of a poem
—Is where a love will surely start
Is where love surely starts."
In his touching collection of poems, Van Slyke reveals the inner workings of one addict's journey from the dark crevices of addiction through the possibility in the light toward the joy of recovery. Every recovery story is as different as the addiction. But all addicts, whether still in the clutches of the disease or having made it through to the other side, will find solace and resonance in the struggles and successes depicted in the collection.
Van Slyke beautifully depicts the intense and varied emotions felt by an addict. From pity and insecurity in "Oh Poor 'Ol Me" and despair in "Futility," he raises out of the gutters to the heights of heaven in "When Angels Speak" where hope takes form and "the doves take flight." It's clear that Van Slyke was able to turn around the troubles of his past and move forward with a new perspective and it is a great kindness of him to share his inspiration and experiences with others.
The language is simple, clear, and concise, making his message easily accessible to people from all walks of life. It is the simplicity that is most compelling as Van Slyke has stripped away any artifice and bared his heart. But the painful truth of recovery is that it never ends. It isn't a stage to achieve; it is an active choice, a path that must be remembered, a garden that must be tended to with care and devotion. And these poems show the hardship and dedication it takes to continue walking the path of recovery.