Saturday, May 9, 2015

Book Review: “In Season’s Dream” by R. Tirrell Leonard Jr. (2015)

IN SEASON'S DREAM (2015)
REVIEWED BY: AVRAHAM AZRIELI
Avraham Azrieli writes novels and screenplays. www.AzrieliBooks.com

“In Season’s Dream” by R. Tirrell Leonard Jr. (2015) is a second volume of poetry from Mr. Leonard. It exceeds even the high expectations generated by his excellent first volume, “In The Murmuring Trees” (2012).

As the title implies, this volume of poems embraces the four seasons of the year as its general structure, dividing the poems into four sections named after the seasons. But this work goes far beyond a calendar breakdown of weather patterns or human moods. Take, for instance, the launching “Spring” piece of the book, “On a Misty Spring Morn,” which opens with a first line that could be coming straight out of fall, or even winter: “I wander out in fog and rain…”

To the reader thus expecting more surprises, your expectations will be met with gusto.

Mr. Leonard manages to take the seemingly mundane subject of weather and seasons, mix it with unique and original observations, and produce a work of great depth, originality, and pleasant surprises. The poems are infused with the magical scenery that typifies the Northeast, with its contrasting sea and rocky coasts, inland lushness and stretches of desolation, and the main theme—the moody weather that regularly makes a total misfit to the concurrent season.

Particularly powerful are Mr. Leonard’s poems that straddle the line between reality and fantasy, between internal emotions and external environment, between joy and sadness—as well as between life and death. An excellent example is “Numbered Are the Hours” that starts with a lovely and familiar nature image and goes to the other end—literally: “I walk the reach, a long paved path; Between the swamps and pond; And hear the calls of geese and ducks; Beyond the veils of fog.” Yet, it goes on to “And one day, I’ll ride his ancient boat; To float beyond the veil, And touch the isle’s beach out there; Where none has ever returned.”

In summary, “In Season’s Dream” by R. Tirrell Leonard Jr” is a rich collection of poems with a powerful theme, deep insight, and vibrant imagery. It is both enjoyable and intriguing, striking a perfect balance between tangible and elusive threads that would no doubt instigate further reflections in the reader’s mind. Excellent!

* This review was originally published at The Columbia Review:  www.TheColumbiaReview.com

Avraham Azrieli is the author of ten published books, most recently “Deborah Rising” (HarperCollins 2016) a novel portraying the dramatic rise of the first woman to lead a nation in human history. www.AzrieliBooks.com

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