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judycroome

Judy Croome: Author on the Prowl

Judy Croome lives, writes and reads in Johannesburg, South Africa.  A novelist & poet, Judy loves cats, exploring the meaning of life, chocolate, rainy days and cats (who already appear to have discovered the meaning of life.) Visit Judy on www.judycroome.com or join her on Twitter @judy_croome

Review: Peace on the Journey by Judith Mercado

From the cover's gradual transition from deep blue to pale blue tipped with white to the variety of emotions stirred up by the poems themselves, "Peace on the Journey" reminds me of the ocean.

 

Some poems have hidden depths ("Respite Sought," with its hint of melancholy found in the scene of children playing); others reflect the calm serenity of an ocean at rest ("Nothing to Prove") and still others are angry and crashing ("I tell Myself".)

 

This collection of poetry depicting the poet's journey through her chronic illness has as many moods as the ocean; one carries away from it the feeling of the poet, a flimsy boat floating on the waters of her life ... sometimes scared, sometimes pushed into acts of courage she didn't know she had, and always on an inspiring journey.

 

At nearly 400 pages long, but with only one haiku-type poem per page, this volume lends itself to easy reading. This isn't the type of book you sit and read cover to cover. Rather, when you need a jolt of inspiration, or simply want to let yourself express gratitude or sadness, dipping into this book a poem at a time will surely help you find what you need.

 

Having worked my way through most of the poems over the past few weeks, I found myself reaching out to these poems when the calm waters of my life became turbulent. After reading a few, I'd once again find myself at peace on my own journey through life.