Poems John
Guy Arneson is being perfectly honest when he titles his collection of poems A Life in Poetry (Xlibris, 2009). The speaker in these poems lays bare the life of a man who’s fallen deeply in love, only to have that love betrayed. In the depths of his despair, he turned to God for comfort. All the while he prayed God would send him an angel, a woman he could respect and who would not repeat the tragedy of his heartbreak.
The poems which address this tale of loss and redemption dominate the collection, and range in emotional tone from blissful to sad to bitter. The best of these are the blissful poems, such as the eloquent ode “You Are Woman” and the earthy “My Baby Back.” “My Baby Back” is an exploration on the themes of physical love and food, twin pleasures in a sensual feast. Like a good country or blues song, “My Baby Back” is not too self-conscious to get silly:
“And if you asked
what I like the most
“I’d have to say
Your juicy rump roast”
The most amusing poem in this series may be “Stuck on Stupid,” in which he admits he and his new love may be rather dim, but he doesn’t mind, because she is sexy and he’s fallen in love with her. But if you’re looking for a poem to recite at a wedding or on another romantic occasion, you can’t go wrong with the collection’s opening verse, “My Heart,” or the lovely, chant-like “To Be One.”
The poems’ love-struck speaker turns to God at other times, too, as when he feels frustrated at the amount of hate and misunderstanding in the world. Poems such as “Smoke and Mirror Alibi,” “A Child Cried,” and “Cosmic Father” touch on current events, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and express the speaker’s love for his fellow human beings over all religious and political differences.
Other religious imagery in this collection is more traditional. There are some poems of praise, but Arenson’s creativity as a storyteller comes through best when he puts a Biblical story into his own words. There are three such poems in this collection (“Apocalyte,” “The Creation,” and “A Child Is Born”), and they stand among his best.
Along with a love of God, the poems express a love of nature and a concern for the environment. Primarily, though, they focus on the loving bond between man and God and the complex, sometimes painful relationship between man and woman. Although some of Arenson’s rhymed poetry has a tendency toward the obvious, A Life in Poetry will appeal to both lovers of Christian poetry and lovers of love poetry.
[http://erineschmidtsmith.com]
Poems, Prayers & Promises sung by Teddy Chase (John Denver)
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