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Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
O Persaud has a divine sense of humor. The poem, The Art of Writing a Novel, is succinct in its hidden message that it’s insane for one to ponder the prospect of writing a novel. Anyone who has attempted, or actually written, a novel or two can certainly relate to a hesitancy, a writer’s block of sorts that prevents the writer from facing the muse head-on. There are other clever analogies. I love the poem The Difference. Each line is a soliloquy on the relevance of one’s existence. You see, it’s really all marked by time: “time/ is more valuable than money/ because time is not earned it is spent.” When you really think about it, the value of time is inconsequential and perhaps even inconceivable because it’s ‘timeless’ (no pun intended), endless and eternal, and, best of all, “every morning/ when you wake up/ your bank is reset.” The poet, of course, is making a reference to the quantity and quality of time and how each morning we have yet another day to make good use of this incredible gift. Powerful thoughts.
O Persaud’s chapbook, Book Smart, is the third book in the Apple Orchard collection. Philosophy and the need to define (or at least comprehend some aspects of) the meaning of life aside, this collection looks at a recent grad’s journey from the world of books and infinite study to the real world of life outside the confines and restrictions of the ivory tower of knowledge. The collection explores multiple ideas, concepts, theories, and what it really means to be alive. Using free verse, sometimes rhyming verse, the poet doesn’t use punctuation or capitalization, allowing the words to flow freely on the page as they flow freely within the poet’s mind. Each poem is a gem of philosophical study, challenging society and the rules that confine and enslave us. This is a book that needs multiple readings to fully appreciate the depth of the poet’s true perception of life – in the real world.