Smorgasbord Advance Book Review – a kiss for the worthy: #Poetry inspired by the Walt Whitman poem ‘Leaves of Grass’ (A Love Poetry Trilogy Book 2) by Frank Prem

I was very honoured to be asked to read and review the upcoming release, currently on pre-order for May 17th, a kiss for the worthy: Poetry inspired by the Walt Whitman poem ‘Leaves of Grass’ (A Love Poetry Trilogy Book 2) by Frank Prem

About the collection

Houses and rooms are full of perfumes,
the shelves are crowded with perfumes,
I breathe the fragrance myself and know it and like it,
The distillation would intoxicate me also,
but I shall not let it.. . .

from Leaves of Grass

Drawing on the phrasing of Walt Whitman’s great late 19th century poem Leaves of Grass (above) Frank Prem has produced a collection of expansive and outward looking love poetry written, as always, in the unique style that allows every reader to relate.

Prem’s interpretations breathe new life into contemporary exploration of themes of love in poetry, and utilise Whitman’s original phrases to inspire a contemplation of the self in the context of landscape and the wider world:

and as they open
I realise
they are filled
with sweet perfumes

golden glory

wafted aroma

from a house filled (with the sensual)

a kiss for the worthy is the second of three collections that together comprise A Love Poetry Trilogy, with each revisiting outstanding work by stellar poets of the past to produce vibrant new collections. The first collection, walk away silver heart, draws on Amy Lowell’s deeply personal Madonna of the Evening Flowers, while the third, rescue and redemption, derives from T.S Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.

This is a new kind of poetry that tells stories, draws pictures and elicits emotional responses from readers. Just as the best poetry should.

My advance review for the collection

I always open a collection of poetry from Frank Prem with anticipation and pleasure. Having enjoyed the first collection in the trilogy, walk away silver heart, based on Amy Lowell’s Madonna of the Evening Flowers, I was certain I would be in for a treat.

I was not disappointed, and I flew through the verse and then back tracked and read it again, savouring each poem in more depth. Perhaps an analogy I could use for the poetry, is that the collections in this series, deconstruct favourite desserts, and bring focus and added flavour to the individual ingredients.

Walt Whitman created a wonderful dessert in his late 19th century Leaves of Grass and Frank Prem takes each line and expands the emotion, texture and intent beautifully.

If I was to choose two poems that stood out for me it would be Espresso which all coffee lovers can relate to , and Inhale My Heart which describes perfectly the wonder we have when we visit other places, walk a sea shore but still have that yearning for home, and in the poet’s case, the fragrance of Eucalyptus trees.

A wonderful sensory interlude that will warm your heart and stimulate your own memories of life’s experiences.

Head over to pre-order the collection: Amazon US

And: Amazon UK

Also by Frank Prem

 

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US

And Amazon UK: Amazon UK

Read more reviews and follow Frank on Goodreads: Goodreads

About Frank Prem

I’ve been a storytelling poet for about forty years. Longer in fact, as I remember the first poem I wrote while at secondary school was about 150 – 200 words long and was accepted in lieu of a 500 word essay. I think that may have been the start.

I love to read my work to a live audience, and have audio recorded some recent recordings and popped them on my author page. I have also done some studio- recorded work under the direction and accompaniment of my wife Leanne Murphy that can be listened to there. These poems are on mythological themes and the accompaniment by Leanne makes them a little bit extraordinary.

By profession, I am a psychiatric nurse and have worked across most facets of public psychiatry and the mental health/mental illness spectrum. My experiences and reflections on what I have seen and done are the subject of a forthcoming memoir – scheduled for late 2019, or perhaps more likely, 2020.

I’ve been published in magazines, zines and anthologies, in Australia and in a number of other countries, but for a long time I haven’t sought much publication. The whims of editors are a little too capricious and unknowable, so I have preferred to hone my craft and self-publish on my poetry blogs

Leanne and I reside in the beautiful township of Beechworth in the North-East of Victoria (Australia).

Connect to Frank

Website: Frank Prem
Website Audio: Frank Prem Audio
Seventeen Syllable Poetry: Seventeen Syllable Poetry WordPress
Blog: Frank Prem WordPress
Facebook: Frank Prem Author

Thank you for dropping in today and I hope you have enjoyed my review for Frank Prem’s latest collection.