People experience all kinds of night: loneliness, grief, depression, anxiety, fear, pain, and countless other darknesses.This collection of profound lyrical poems explores the poet’s own experiences and observations of both dark and light, revealing her determination to not only survive, but to conquer whatever tries to overcome her. At the end of it all, the poet demonstrates that the smallest … that the smallest sign of light is enough to help a wandering soul find hope in the passing of the night.
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Degrees of Poetic Depth Perception
Having grown to appreciate poetry that resonates inside my heart and soul, I highly recommend ‘The Passing of the Night’ by Joanne Van Leerdam on this basis. From the starkly straightforward to the sublimely stirring, this collection pivots around the poet’s own despair and her determination not to succumb any further into an abyss of no return. I never smiled once, so drawn was I to the power of her words and how she got to that place.
Surviving emotional upheavals is serious business between maintaining a public persona to mask pain, while functioning throughout the day—and night, when thoughts close in around you before the dawn of a new day. It’s “Over Complicated” by sensitivity and vulnerability.
Once in tune with the poet’s mindset, the degrees of poetic perception go beyond the face value of mere words. Depending on one’s experiences, it’s either a shallow dip or deep plunge in extracting the pulp of their meaning. For instance—“Through the Shadows”:
Blinded by beasts I cannot see –
Life is obscured by life itself.
I persevere in this journey
Where the light so rarely shines
For each obstacle reminds me
‘Tis not the darkness that defines.
Each poem represents a “sliver” of light in the darkness. Let’s face it, it’s up to each of us to continue our journey moving forward in depth.
Joanne’s poems touched my heart. They made me feel as though she could see inside my head, that she knew what I am thinking and how I feel, that I am not the only one to have noticed this or been crushed by that. Some of the poems made me laugh, others brought tears to my eyes. The feelings her images and perceptions evoked took me back in time, helped me grieve and gave me hope. Highly recommended.
The Passing Of The Night is a wonderful collection of insightful poetry based off of life experiences which everyone will go through during their lifetime. I found so many of them to be particularly touching. Stronger was very moving and poignant. Of Cookies, People, and Individuality demonstrated the core of our problems of judging ourselves based on other’s expectations, the ending made me laugh. Still Here was very moving. Over Her Shoulder was very insightful about seeing the past and how it can give you wisdom for your future. Tall Poppy demonstrated how we all need to have sunshine to thrive and to watch out for one another even in troubled times. Note to Self was a perfect sentiment. Sky Princess created a very hopeful picture of life. River Song was the perfect description of a romance. I loved Blind. Nevermore was perfectly written for closure to a toxic relationship. Through the Shadows was a great hope in times of trouble. This poet is very talented and her creations expressed the perfect emotions. I highly recommend this to all readers, even if you don’t normally read poetry (you’ll be glad you did!)
Beautiful collection of short poems ranging in subjects from love to drought to heartbreak. The way the author uses various metaphors to shadow loss and sadness is refreshing. Even if you’re not a real big fan of poetry, there are some lines in here that will really grip you. Good read if you’re looking for some deep quotes to ponder.