Book Review: A Bountiful Silence
Book cover image from Bookshop.org
A Bountiful Silence by John Muro is a poetic balm for the weary soul. One cannot be a part of this current culture without weariness or loss weighing upon you. At times it may feel like a heavy shroud. That’s why I love this book so much.
Each of John’s poems are as powerful and thought-provoking as the next. They ease your mind into a place of calm, and then work a number on your spirit. I found myself both crying and smiling at the beautiful intensity of his words.
A Bountiful Silence enables the reader to become deeply involved with Muro’s poetry to the point where, regardless of the trials of their day, the vibrant intensity of his words helps them to focus on the beauty around them. God knows we need that right now!
My heart has been heavy lately, and his words painted gentle yet glorious pictures in my mind that lifted me to a higher state of consciousness. I could not be filled with grief while reading this stunning collection of poetry.
It’s strange that I say this, since a lower arc of this book carries grief within it. Every word is tender and reaching, but it’s there none-the-less. His words create a steady state point that allows the grief to draw you in without feeling anxiety or despair.
His poem “Restoration” was one of my absolute favorites. The words “…snow falling in deafening silence, flake upon flake upon frenetic flake laundering the air with a will to soften the Earth’s hard edges and bring abundance and beauty back into this world…”
Considering the recent chaos that has overtaken the city I used to call my second home, beauty and abundance is gravely lacking. Fear, tear gas smoke, job loss, and sadness abound. Where are the soft edges, the abundantly beautiful landscapes?
A Bountiful Silence provides exactly that balm for the soul, bringing the right amount of abundance and beauty back into this world to soften the hard edges we face every day.
Although I love many of John’s books, this book is a master class in poetry. It is true art.
Need more soothing reads in these troubling times? Find reviews, stories, essays, and poetry at the MockingOwl Roost.
- Light Hues of the Soul – a Short Story
- Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You – Poetry Book Review
- I Am a Runner With Hope – Poetry
- Your Words Your World – Poetry Book Review
- Cormorant – Nature Poetry
- Pastoral Suite – Poetry Book Review
- Memories on a Rainy Evening – An Emotive Short Story
- The Drum That Beats Within Us – an Indigenous Poetry Book Review
Sue Cook lives in Freeport, Illinois with her husband Randy and two dogs. Her passions include assistance dogs, rescue dogs, music, acting, theater, poetry, and Doctor Who. She’s been in both film and theater and is a regular cast member of the podcast Doctor Who’s Line is it….Anyway? Sue is an advocate for the use of Service Dogs to assist their disabled handlers to maintain their independence. Quigley’s Quest, her first children’s book, addresses how a dog becomes a Service Dog.