Frayed Edges by Kahlani B. Steele is a beautiful collection of poems that delve into the intricacies of human emotion and the natural world. Steele covers themes of love, grief, resilience, and the passage of time through stories about family and animals in the wild. The book covers the darkness found in the world and in humans, but also celebrates their capacity to love and sacrifice for others. The book describes moments of a grandchild watching a grandfather observe nature and of a person mesmerized by the night sky. It also explores desperation for survival and the beauty found in still moments when the flowers bloom, and butterflies emerge from their cocoons. Enjoy all these magical moments through these poems and see the world around you with fresh eyes.

Frayed Edges is a moving collection that will make you think of the moments and memories that shape and transform us. These poems are mainly centered on the lessons we learn from nature and how our life journeys are filled with unexpected ups and downs. I love that Kahlani B. Steele uses simple words that make it easy to interpret the meaning in each poem. She draws lessons from everyday moments and nature. In the poem Try a Little Kindness, she uses cooking to show what ingredients are needed for kindness, and in It’s a Tie she highlights the complexity of choices. The collection’s strength lies in its ability to translate natural references into reflections on personal growth, endurance, patience, and compassion. Overall, this is an inspiring and relatable collection that will encourage you to learn from simple moments and from your surroundings.

“Each day stretches endlessly/ like a mournful waltz/ as I await with quiet longing/ for the sun’s smile.” I love this opening poem in Kahlani B. Steele’s Frayed Edges. Her collection of storytelling, prophetic poems weaves multiple images of life, from the sun’s smile to unbearable losses. She is a storyteller, and her words are confessions from her life and reflections of the lives of others. She doesn’t always write on her own. Some of her poems are written in collaboration with other poets, like Krystoff Juddbryll, with whom she collaborates in writing the last five poems in this collection.

Kahlani B. Steele’s book, Frayed Edges, is poetry at its finest and most prophetic. Her simple, carefree mode of free verse renditions is full of sensitive and compelling imagery. She uses punctuation sparingly, allowing the reader’s eyes to flow freely over her compilations of thoughts and ideas. Her command of the English language is profound and both complex and dignified. Metaphors are well-intentioned and have multiple possibilities in their interpretation. I love her comparison to music in “it started with the touch of an ivory key/ its melody sweet” and nature in “golden leaf dances.” Her storytelling expressions are full of hope as she manoeuvres through the quagmires of life’s losses and sorrows, allowing readers to sense the possibility of joy at the end of the dark tunnels of life. It’s evident that she respects and promotes the powerful resourcefulness of the human spirit. This is a very thoughtful collection that will draw readers back to study multiple times.

Frayed Edges by Kahlani B. Steele is a collection of 132 brilliant lyrical poems replete with images of color, nature, human emotions, varied themes, and passionate feelings. Only a few poems extend beyond a single page, making the book perfect for the coffee table or for daily meditation. Many of the poems are reminiscent of Emily Dickinson in terms of their brevity and intriguing ambiguity. Many of them are unrhymed, some uncapitalized, but all are deeply moving, and none can be labeled free verse. Their totality of vision ranges through a lifetime. The vocabulary is easy to understand, with only a few words possibly needing a dictionary. Birds, flowers, landscapes, weather, family, desire, and rejection all represent the poet’s intense, day-to-day visions of her profoundly felt and closely observed world.

Reading many of these poems reminded me of a painter at an easel depicting a landscape, whether barren or resplendent, but with pinpoint accuracy. One of my favorites presents her grandfather observing nature from a window, and when asked “why”, answers because it (nature) tells him things. He calls the then-little girl “Pips” for pipsqueak. In a poem called “Concerts”, the moon speaks to her. In another, she compares her writing to a dandelion seed, lifting and drifting away to a new, random location. Though passionate love does not dominate the collection, several enigmatic poems deal with the subject, especially in terms of trust and possible abuse. My favorite poem is titled “Songs from the Grave,” in which she looks at her life while visiting her mother’s tombstone. In another poem, she describes daffodils as “ethereal cups of sunshine.” In “Ready for Love,” she writes of having been hurt, but of being willing to start anew. For lovers of verse, Kahlani B. Steele’s Frayed Edges is not to be missed.

Frayed Edges by Kahlani B. Steele is a collection of poignant poems about family, lessons from nature, and human connections. It takes readers on a journey of transformation into dark tunnels where they can face their fears and doubts, and destroyed lands that need restoration. The poems cover the life lessons on hope, resilience, and survival we can learn from Mother Nature. It delves into the pain of grief and the joyful memories with loved ones. The author talks about living in a hopeless world with depression, sadness, and loneliness. At the same time, she describes a simple life, enjoying the rain, watching a child having fun, and finding joy and peace. In addition, the book has five poems about desire, love, loss, and fantasy, which are a joint effort between Steele and Krystoff Juddbryll.

Frayed Edges is a wonderful collection that encourages us to listen to the world around us and appreciate the connections we make with people. Kahlani B. Steele reminds us that life moves fast. She urges us to slow down, absorb each moment, and look for the good, even when things feel bleak. She writes about grief and heavy, lonely days, but she also finds room for hope and happiness. She talks about the little gifts that nature hands us, and she encourages kindness and generosity. When she describes animals—how they interact, how they hunt or survive every day—you start to see how we are all connected. There are lessons on resilience and patience, and how we need to live in tune with the world around us. There is a consistent message running through her work about learning from those who came before us and keeping traditions alive. There is so much packed into these poems. Readers will find different lessons, but everyone can take something away from this book. You will find truths that feel like they were written just for you. Overall, well worth a read.