Nov. 15, 2020
“What lies behind your shadow?”
Anita Dawes is the author of six novels of different genres. She recently rediscovered her love of poetry which can be seen in her publication of Shadows. Interestingly, she prefers to write long-hand.
Shadows is the title of her opening poem with the first line reading, “What lies behind your shadow?” The poem is about your shadow being the other side of you, as Dawes shows her readers with this book.
Theme of time was applied broadly:
- Shadows
- Journeys
- Dreams
- Clocks/time
- Memories
- Time periods
- Future
- Moments
I also found Shadows to be full of dichotomies working well and relatable to readers:
- Past and present
- Imaginary and real
- Mundane and special occasions
- Interior and exterior
- Love and hate
- Good and evil
- Written and unwritten
I have included some of my favorite quotes that show such depth and expression
Beloved
She looked at me with salt worn eyes Tears of a thousand years Her pain I could not imagine
Haunted
I touched the sky and found it haunted A million souls held my hand My mind raced through their lifetimes The sad, the lonely, stuck between worlds
The Best Tree (Dawes is talking about her gum tree)
Tall and magnificent, a small amount of wind sets is swaying like a row of flamenco dancers
I found several poems to be thought-provoking, some for fun, such as Colour Me Red, while some seriously, such as Days Gone.
Oddly, Sweet Embrace has a different font and I wonder if it has any significance. As a reader, I prefer to have some kind of structure or categorization to begin each poem with a certain mindset. However, if that was included, it would be the author’s mindset instead of the readers’, which will likely influence how readers should interpret each poem, thus brushing off readers’ prior experiences.
Like with any book of poetry, it requires reading multiple times. Some poems may resonate now and others later. Get your copy today!
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