WATER

A collection of water-themed poetry and photographs of the northern Florida Keys.

Hart, an avid swimmer, combines her fascinations with water, the written word, and imagery in this book. “Water is the moods of power and creation,” the author states at the start of this massive tome, divided into four sections by season. The work centers on themes of love, the benevolent qualities of the universe, and the heart’s ability to heal. The poems are primarily motivational and inspirational in nature; they aim to uplift. “Miracles happen all the time,” states the narrator in “True.” Many entries take the form of communication between two people or entities. “Tears” reads like dialogue between the wind and a soul; in “Carry On,” a conversation takes place between a bird and a tree. Other poems, like “Grateful,” resemble written prayers; some are as succinct as one line, and none surpass a page. Interspersed throughout are images of the sun sinking into the horizon, sea gulls crisscrossing the sky, solitary sailboats bobbing along, and shadowy silhouettes of people captured from behind. This is less a book of poetry than a string of feel-good statements arranged in stanzas. The rhyme schemes are erratic and the subjects nebulous. There is little scene-setting or characterization. “A pilot stood near some trees” is as descriptive as it gets. Occasionally, the poet lands on an apt simile, such as, “We are united, / like the seashells with the sand.” Those seeking simple comfort will find it here in meditations like “Mind” (“A loving memory is only / one thought away, and it / can change everything”) or “Omniscience” (“Love lives in the spirit / of everything”). This might serve well as a coffee-table book, though the photographs are grainy and the cursive font interferes with the reading experience at times.

An amateurish but heartfelt effort.