Title: My Cemetery Friends: A Garden of Encounters at Mount Saint Mary in Queens, New York
Author: Vincent J. Tomeo
Publisher: Bookside Press
ISBN: 978-1778833526
Genre: Memoir, Poetry
Pages: 80
Reviewed by: Lisa Brown-Gilbert
Hollywood Book Reviews
A work dedicated to honoring ten soldiers from Corona Queens killed in the Vietnam war, poet and author Vincent J. Tomeo’s, My Cemetery Friends: A Garden of Encounters at Mount Saint Mary in Queens, offers a poignantly posed commemoration of life, gleaned by virtue of inspiration and a desire to honor those that have passed on and those left behind to carry on. An emotionally touching work, not only does this work honor the fallen soldiers but it also honors all those interred at Mount Saint Mary.
This is a work which emanates straight from the author Tomeo’s heart, as it offers a stunning culmination of touching free verse poetry, as well as interesting and insightful accounts of humanity, gleaned from his encounters in the cemetery. Although the author meets many new found friends during his walks through the cemetery, one encounter in particular, leads to a profoundly affecting relationship between author Tomeo and priest, Father Zanon.
Altogether author Tomeo’s work in this book is a celebration of life through his poetry and documented encounters, all of which offer deep insights while riling emotions. Assembled from his experiences and inspired moments while walking through the cemetery where his mother is interred. Throughout, this book often offers food for thought concerning perspectives on life as well as what can be learned at one of the least likely places most people tend to visit on a regular basis. However, somehow author Tomeo managed to find solace in the peaceful atmosphere of the cemetery which in turn sparked many heartfelt works which do well to both celebrate and honor the lives and attributes of those lost to death. In fact, his free verse works have won awards including the impressive poet laureate award for free verse with his poem, I Visited The Grave of Marine Michael D. Glover. While all his poems are profoundly touching, I was also intensely affected by his poems to his mother, which artfully bring on a bevy of sentiment and emotion that truly resonates with anyone having lost their own mother.
I did enjoy reading My Cemetery friends: A garden of Encounters at Mount Saint Mary in Queens, it was a journey through life told from a very different perspective. Both insightful and soul stirring, author Vincent J. Tomeo has done well with this unforgettable read which authentically reveres the many lost to death, especially the lost soldiers of the horrific Vietnam war. Also, the added touches of photographs and map of the cemetery were a great touch to the work, as it added to the stirring atmosphere of the book. Altogether, this is a book that I would highly recommend to those that enjoy well-done, sincere, free verse poetry works. This book serves as a reminder that cemeteries are not just resting places for the dead but are also gardens of stories waiting to be told.