Title: Mom’s Poetry
Author: Kathleen Dunleavy
Publisher: Writers Branding
ISBN: 978-1524590963
Genre: Poetry
Pages: 88
Reviewed by: Lisa Brown-Gilbert
Hollywood Book Reviews
Offering a captivating collection of commemorating poetic works, which touch not only the heart, but stirs the mind, Kathleen Dunleavy’s Mom’s Poetry presents her loving perspectives on family, life, and loss, garnered from her journey through life as a mother, and much more.
To start with author Dunleavy offers a variety of several poetic musings, willingly inviting readers into her mommy-verse with each consecutive composition a lovingly expressed testimony to the memorable events in her life. Moreover, writing talent aside, author Kathleen Dunleavy embodies other talents as well as she expresses her multifaceted self with the inclusion of a mix of her paintings, which are engagingly creative expressions of life, presented artfully between her poetic works throughout the book. Also, as expected with a work of this nature, the verses bring on a bevy of sentiments competently combining deep insights with fluxing emotions, whereby at times the verses are serious, spiritual, endearing, humorous, and often revealing.
The crux of the book, initiated from the first of what later grew into a twenty-seven-year tradition of writing a poem dedicated as her family’s Thanksgiving prayer before dinner, this assortment of expressive verses memorializes her family with a verse dedicated to each family member. However, starting the book out she instantly engages with a poem that stirs the heart, Childbirth a short and sweet tribute to the miracle of giving birth and the first contact between mother and newborn. Continuing on the journey through author Dunleavy’s mind and heart, a selection of varietal poetics stanzas follows covering the intriguing subjects of: 9/11, Our Dad, Forgiveness, Loneliness, A True Friend, as well as two poems dedicated to the loving memory friends lost to death.
Entirely a beautiful journey through a creative and expressive mind, I enjoyed reading Mom’s Poetry by author Kathleen Dunleavy. She is an intensely talented woman whose unconditional love for her family and friends truly shines through her artistic endeavors. As well, I found the sentiments both relatable and ultimately entertaining and as a mother myself, can completely relate to the desire to memorialize family, and events for future generations to read. In particular, I really enjoyed the artwork as well as the Thanksgiving poems, they were creative, engaging and presented family gatherings in a new light.
Altogether, this book made for a worthy read and I do highly recommend it.