Bodhisattva Wisdom

Using scenes of nature, stories, and meditations on love and faith, Williams’ slim volume of poetry describes itself as “a journey into living, healing and growing in wisdom through the trials of everyday life.”

Divided into three parts, the work loosely addresses themes of inner knowledge, memories of loved ones and inspirational thoughts. Simple language and repeating themes make the book accessible, if not wholly original. The opening poem, “Love Flower Blooming,” aims to celebrate love from both oneself and others: “Never doubt that this love is meant to be / and that this love is for you and me.” The narrator expresses the joy of self-awareness in “Opening”: “I unveil my inner thoughts to the light with peace and love as my only motivation.” Other poems comment on how material success doesn’t mean spiritual comfort. Several entries feature specific anecdotes or characters, and these are the most compelling. “She’s Gone Y’all” relays the story of a woman who builds the strength to leave her partner and take her kids somewhere better. A cropped photograph of a woman’s eyes, which succeeds as a moment of intimacy on the page, accompanies the brief, poignant “My Mother’s Eyes.” Photographs of nature provide a built-in pause between poems and complement the spare collection. While some images are trite (“like a whisper on the wind not seen as it moves through a tree full of leaves”), a few clever metaphors appear (“Hands gripped tight strolling down the pathways of life. Never bother to look at the cracks along the way”). The introduction mentions how yoga inspired the poems, but Buddhism is not as present here as the title might suggest. General themes of light, love, faith and presence occur throughout, but there is little direct talk of enlightenment or suffering, which may disappoint readers who pick this book up based on its title. The simplicity of the volume holds it back from a more in-depth exploration of how self-awareness is truly found. The author, however, seems utterly sincere in her desire for the reader to be inspired and to be well.

A passionate volume that would be at home among other basic, uncomplicated inspirational texts.