National Poetry Month: Travelling Light by Vickie Johnstone

It’s April and that means it’s National Poetry Month and once again Serena from Savvy Verse & Wit is hosting a blog tour to celebrate poetry.  Despite the fact that I don’t read a lot of poetry nor can I usually decipher the meaning behind most of it I do know what I like when I read it.  If it makes me smile, cry, or just strikes a chord somewhere within me I know I’ve read a piece of poetry that means something to me and ultimately I think that’s what makes poetry enjoyable for anyone.  Travelling Light by Vickie Johnstone is just such a book of poetry for me.

Originally I had chosen a different collection to highlight but then I ran across Travelling Light by Vickie Johnstone and downloaded it to my Kindle.  From the very first piece I was captivated by the beauty of Vickie’s words and I read this collection not once, but twice!  What I like best about this author’s work is that it is very straight forward.  I didn’t have to search for a hidden meaning because I knew what she was trying to say and I really appreciated that as a novice poetry reader.  Some of these poems are on the light side and some much darker – some I really liked and others were just ok but again that reflects back on how a piece reacts with the emotions of the reader.  I found it to be a very enjoyable collection and intend to read more of Vickie’s work.

Finally, I thought I’d share one of the pieces that I enjoyed.  I chose the poem November simply because it resonated with me.  We’ve had such a bad winter this year and it’s still not over and I long for spring and this poem perfectly captured that.

 

November

November chills me with its breath
It shocks me out of this limbo
With its icy fingers and numb breaks
Darkness comes creeping in earlier

Crisp steps it makes across the land
As the sky sinks down ever nearer
Trees reach skyward for past blossoms
Carried away on the back of the wind

I yearn to bury myself away in warmth
To hibernate like a sleeping hedgehog
In a small box of paper, hidden away
Nestled alone with my memories

Wake me in the warm glow of spring
As I’m sure I will not miss a thing
This slow slide into winter unnerves me
Season of change, death and seclusion

Bring me sunshine on a silver platter
With roses tinted pink in summer scent
The smell of green brought by the rain
Smile away the despair of the darkest day

 

(Taken from the ebook version of Travelling Light)

 

Be sure to check out all of the fabulous tour stops for National Poetry Month over on Savvy Verse & Wit!