MWSA Review
Life Sentence is an attractive volume of forty-four free-form poems. It offers the reader the poet’s insight into existential issues. Poet Joshua Colenda shares his own melancholy and philosophy and also helps the reader appreciate the fact that most things tend to work out in life. Someone in the depths of depression will find more than a few of these poems encouraging.

Mr. Colenda addresses life’s universal themes of love and loss, anguish and joy, human foolishness, and oneness with the natural cycles of nature. Some poems are witty, others are poignant or hopeful, and all are relatable.

From “Pearls,” which describes how a closed-up person can still build and harbor a thing of beauty, to “The Squirrel King” which will make the reader believe squirrels truly are smarter than people, the reader will not be disappointed.

Both the regular reader of poetry and the occasional reader of poems will find this book enjoyable. It is available online and in paperback. Beautifully designed, the physical volume is a pleasure to look at and hold in your hand.

Review by Patricia Walkow (May 2023)

Author's Synopsis

Through this collection of insightful verse for tough times, Joshua Colenda explores serious, emotional topics with humor and grace, hoping to help readers find their silver linings.

Life Sentence shares poems about everyday life that reveal the author’s vulnerability, his natural optimism, and his respect for life’s beautiful contradictions. Through his lyrical poems about love and loss, readers will encounter self-compassion and come to appreciate that there can be joy alongside pain. As they explore the volume’s captivating stories and witty poems about politics, they will also come away with new insights and inspiration.

Colenda has tapped into the personal yet universal nature of human struggle, and with that awareness, he delivers poetry that hopefully resonates with everyone. The result is both simple and profound.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Poetry—Poetry Book

Number of Pages: 125

Word Count: 7015