A review by mariannemersereau
Ascent by Christopher Manieri, Christopher Manieri

5.0

Christopher Manieri’s Ascent is a moving collection of contemplative poetry. In luminous lines, the poet asks us to meditate on true joy that “can only be found in the Infinite.” Manieri doesn’t ignore the complexities and sorrows of life in these stirring poems, but instead explores the contrasts between grief and bliss and how in both there is a “certain cosmic beauty.” In “The Lake” we are assured that we are “greater than the mere body, more than the mind.” This theme of spiritual transcendence is woven throughout, as in “Harmony,” he writes, ‘we are all instruments of the Spirit/each vital to that greater harmony.” Ascent showcases the author as an instrument of Spirit in these uplifting and encouraging poems. Encountering this work leaves the reader “rejuvenated by the rush of love for all” as the poet writes of a vibrant blue jay in the woodland, relentless rain, swans, treasured fields, quiet grass, the ocean, river, lake and forest. Manieri’s poems invite us to continue our journey toward oneness “undaunted by the struggle” and to “heal our wings for the ascent.”