MWSA Review

Heart Songs is a tour de force of a poetry collection by Dennis Maulsby. Songs of the heart can be expressed in a wide array of emotions, and this book handles all of them well, ranging from euphoria to abject depression. The author uses a variety of poetic forms to convey emotions and experiences, using sophisticated imagery to engage all the senses. The poems range in length from haiku of 17 syllables to longer poems and poetic essays. Powerful and effective word selection ushers the reader into realms he may not have been familiar with, from the wildly sensuous to the stark brutality of combat. There is even a playful limerick to tickle the funny bone. While it is impossible to choose just one favorite poem among many, I was enchanted by the eight-part offering that explores the different kinds of love.

Review by Betsy Beard (January 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

Heart songs come from many sources. We welcome those of love, whether romantic or platonic. Our life experiences evoke other songs, whether bawdy, prideful, humorous, sad, happy, terrifying, or in joyous dance — the heart’s percussion, riffs, and chords changing in response to each experience.

Poetry can capture them all, permitting the intimate sensual and intimate virtual to blend. In this book, think of the poems as the author’s sheet music — records of the heart’s songs.

blonde girl’s earbuds throb 
heavy metal guitar chokes 
peppery symbols

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Poetry—Poetry Book

Number of Pages: 77

Word Count: 5639