Slices of Soul is a collection of contemporary poetry from author Harmony Kent that will both delight and call for deeper reflection. ‘Phantoms’ gives a gritty account of pain that you can never catch. ‘Enough’ expresses the contentment of Zen. ‘Diamonds’ shows the beauty to be found on a drab and rainy day. While ‘The Alchemist’ shows you how a guitar can turn lead into gold. This wonderful … arrangement of fifty poems takes you from the abstract of Zen to the melody of music, and will reach into your mind, your heart, and your soul.
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“Slice of Soul” is a beautiful collection of poetry that tugged on my emotions. There is a story weaved into the poems that had a memoir feel to it. Each section was a narrative of the author progressing through periods of her life. So many feelings arose, but each one felt authentic and direct from the soul. I really connected to the ocean or guitar passages but appreciated each part of the journey. This is a book I will be reading again.
‘Slices of Soul’ by Harmony Kent is unconventional poetry with vague and broken lines that challenge you to pick up scattered pieces of self and reinvent your real purpose of life. The path is spiritual and many would like to understand the directions but they seems hazy; you have to gather all the intent and energy yet get lost in the ambiguous connections that it seems to suggest.
On the surface, her poetry seems just reflections that flash across the mind on an unknown journey of trying to understand trails of life. You have to delve deeper into the words to figure out the so-called spiritual experience that is open to interpretation. Those uncanny experiences only make sense to the person who has traversed the realms of his choice to feel tranquility seeping into the bones but I wonder how long it lasts!
Harmony’s take on ‘Unity’ touched me but her spiritual experience seems meaningless to those who distort its meaning; stir passions and exploit them to create wedges between people having the blood of same color. Some of her short poems make you walk willingly into the dark tunnels to understand life, to try to form your own perspective, to develop a vision that gets beyond the outer beauty and seek your real self in this shadowy world. Only then do connotations of life change and a new soul smiles at you.
What attracted me to this short book of poems was the fact that the author lived in a Zen Buddhist Temple for thirteen years. I follow the Buddhist Theravadin tradition myself, so I knew what I was in for… or so I thought.
What I found was a journey into the soul of a woman. The themes of loneliness, rejection, and solitude resonated throughout the pages. I knew the life lessons she learned as a monk would forever color her writing. Yet, I sensed a great tragedy in her life had brought her to live in a monastery, a rarity for western women. Written as a poetic memoir, Kent slowly reveals the details of her life.
“The Path”
The ten directions all merge into one
this winding road leads nowhere
and goes straight there
© Harmony Kent
The author divided the book into three sections: Shaved Head, written during her time as a monk in the temple, Short Hair, written as she transitioned back into society, and Long Hair after she adapted to her newfound lifestyle.
Kent’s journey through each stage of her life is incredibly brave. No stranger to personal tragedy, she overcame her limitations with strength, love, and dignity—and it shows in her poetry. Each poem, from beginning to end, is a personal meditation on her path to enlightenment.
I have a growing interest in poetry and play around with various poetic forms. When I came across Kent’s book, I was intrigued by the cover and the suggestion that the writer might focus on life’s mysteries. I purchased the book and didn’t stop reading it until I finished it. It is a beautiful account of soul-inspiration. Sometimes desperate, sometimes exalting, always raw and perfect. I loved the collection and highly recommend it.
So much conveyed in so few words
Recently I had been suffering from reader’s block and wanted something completely different to revive my reading interests.
I found my answer in this wonderful treasure-trove and have already read it three times.
Harmony Kent’s short book of poetry gives you more of an insight into her life’s experiences than a longer book of memoirs might do. It is a skilfully combined collection of concise poems that convey an amazing amount in just a few words. These are real slices of soul.
This is a book that I will return to again and again.