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MWSA Review
Poetry That is Pure as Emotional Rain
“Wishing For Rain” is one of those well thought out books of emotionally flowing prose; the kind of poetry that speaks of lost loves and loneliness. The poet uses the rain as a spiritual bridge from his heart to the universe. Jim Greenwald’s wonderfully crafted little poetry book (59 pages) comes across as soft and sensitive and at times inspirational without losing any male energy. It is a book that men will be able to relate to.
Even though the words from most of his poems deal with lost loves and being alone, the under current is all about hope. The poet takes his readers on a journey of feelings and dreams and desires. He uses simple naked phrasing, which paints the inner image of what he is feeling without over writing each individual piece of poetry. It is a straight forward approach to his poetry that is honest. He dives into his heart quickly and pulls out pearls of feeling with each poem. It is poetry that easy to read and to understand.
My favorite poem was the title poem “Wishing For Rain,” where the poet asks:
If I screamed I love you…would it rain again!
Would I hear your words
Or feel only your tears as
They fell from the sky mixing with mine
Truly one of the better poetry books written over the past couple of years; a good book to buy as a gift to someone you care about.
Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2010)
Wishing for Rain is a collection of tender heartfelt poems that embrace romance, longing, love, and loss. The poems are sensitive and poignant, delivering a timeless commentary on the complexities of the relationships of the human race. Jim Greenwald, whose background is a cultural mix that includes Native American, weaves the concept of spiritual oneness with nature into many of the poems. When you read of the starlit nights, the wind, the ocean, or the rain, you feel that you are part of the healing vastness of Mother Earth.
In poetry, each word counts. Greenwald uses his words to maximum effect, while leaving the meaning open enough that the reader can bring his or her own emotions into the poems. Using a free verse style, the poet allows the words to roll from the pages and into our hearts.
I enjoyed reading the poems out loud, savoring the sound and the feel of each line as it unfolded. I found myself going back to previous poems and reading them over and over. Wishing for Rain is the kind of book you can enjoy for a few moments each day for a long time to come. Leave it on your bedside stand or end table and visit it often.
Join Greenwald as he seeks to express the fullness of the human experience. You will be richer for having explored the deeper meanings of life, the joy of discovered love, the searing pain of brokenness, and the healing touch of a hand reaching out or a smile freely given.
Reviewed by: Betsy Beard (2012)
Author's Synopsis
We all have feelings, wishes and desires, to some expression comes easy while to others an endless struggle or a fight they refuse to join for a myriad of reasons. I have tried here on these pages to express not just my feelings but my perceptions of others feelings. There is nothing more complex than love, look for a definitive definition and surely your search would take years. My inspirations come from many directions, experiences, words overheard, a scene that unfolds before my eyes, a movie, a song. All directed in an endless search to express love and all that it encompasses. I hope my writing draws you in and it becomes part of you, join me in the journey. Enter my book, I hope you enjoy it.