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A review by thegrimhobbyist
Rain Songs by Craig Randall, Craig Randall
5.0
I received a copy of this book, but the review is my own honest opinion.
The third collection of poetry written by Randall, about his journey in healing, hits at a moment where the world itself gets gut punched - Covid. And this is the moment where he learns that healing is not linear (one of the list of reminders he puts in his afterword in his book). I truly appreciate he listed those there, as much as I appreciated seeing this whole journey unfold. The reminders are good ones to hold close.
Like the second book, this book is mostly just short form poems, which aren't usually my favorite. However! I was stood corrected. Perhaps I was just not resonating with Among the Wildflowers at the time, because Rain Songs poems hit me strongly. I was impacted by many, so much so that I couldn't put together a small example collection of my favorites for this review. Given my own ups and downs I go through in my own journey, perhaps that's why this book spoke to me more.
Watch before your very own eyes as the poems uplift, then drop to struggle and melancholy, only to lift once more with hope as the strong focus. A roller coaster in the way it dips and turns, we find ourselves declining once more at the epicenter of the pandemic and a brief offshoot of human rights focused verses, before rising back up and landing in an airy pillow of love and light at the end.
This is a strong contender for my favorite collection of his, and there will be yet another book of poetry coming out in 2024! I recommend you get all three current collections, just to see the full journey of how Randall deals with mental health and healing.
The third collection of poetry written by Randall, about his journey in healing, hits at a moment where the world itself gets gut punched - Covid. And this is the moment where he learns that healing is not linear (one of the list of reminders he puts in his afterword in his book). I truly appreciate he listed those there, as much as I appreciated seeing this whole journey unfold. The reminders are good ones to hold close.
Like the second book, this book is mostly just short form poems, which aren't usually my favorite. However! I was stood corrected. Perhaps I was just not resonating with Among the Wildflowers at the time, because Rain Songs poems hit me strongly. I was impacted by many, so much so that I couldn't put together a small example collection of my favorites for this review. Given my own ups and downs I go through in my own journey, perhaps that's why this book spoke to me more.
Watch before your very own eyes as the poems uplift, then drop to struggle and melancholy, only to lift once more with hope as the strong focus. A roller coaster in the way it dips and turns, we find ourselves declining once more at the epicenter of the pandemic and a brief offshoot of human rights focused verses, before rising back up and landing in an airy pillow of love and light at the end.
This is a strong contender for my favorite collection of his, and there will be yet another book of poetry coming out in 2024! I recommend you get all three current collections, just to see the full journey of how Randall deals with mental health and healing.