A BOOK OF POETRY YOU MAY ACTUALLY READ
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Spring Breeze
The spring breeze raced
Across the meadow green
Like a yearling colt
Causing the grass to smile.
It kicked up its heels
Causing the summer’s leaves
To rise up skyward
In a last brittle dance.
It cleared the rusty wire
Not to be restrained
And sought the open spaces
Beyond the familiar field.
A loud whinny of triumph
A final snort
A freedom acknowledged
By the bowing trees.
Cello Delight
The young lady with eyes of blue
And hair of gold touched the cello
Lightly as lovers’ hands touch
With mutual delight.
The fine tuning now completed,
Long fingers settled on
Familiar strings and pressed them
Tightly against the warm wood.
The bow moved slowly and
The small voice of the cello
Pushed aside the stillness
Of the shadowy room.
With greater resolve the bow
Danced across the strings
And the cello now fully awake
Spoke in deep, mellow tones.
Lost in her own world, the
Young lady with eyes of blue
And hair of gold held the cello close
And filled up the room with music.
Mountains blue and distant
Thrusting sharp profiles into soft clouds
Green covered, cold, white
Standing soldier straight rank on rank,
Narrow valleys, rushing streams
Toy houses perched dangerously on slanted slopes
Trains whistle calling across lonely spaces
Echo answer from distant rise,
Settling mist gray white
High peaks vanishing one by one
Soft whispering snow, a crystal curtain
Drifting wet and deep, a mountain blanket.
The Mill
Stood the mill above the
Water on a slight rise,
The river rushed by
With a nod of recognition.
Faded siding and shuttered windows
No sounds from within,
The river rushed by
With a look of sadness.
Rusty, red roof showing
Signs of aging and decay.
The river rushed by
With a feeling of concern.
Forgotten hub of activity
From another day,
The river rushed by
Remembering and reminiscing.
Yesterday’s derelict
Among modern tacky boxes,
The river rushed by
Unable to help.
Sounds of wrecking bars and shouting men
Sounds of destruction and death,
The river rushed by
Unable to stop and pay
Its last respects.
The Death of Robert Bowman
They brought him home during the summer heat
With a lifeless body from the waist down.
The roof of the mine had given way
And he had been entombed for nearly a day.
The high hospital bed was placed downstairs
In the parlor near the front of the house.
He lingered through summer and occasionally
Smiled but gave up as the colors of autumn
Touched the trees.
Friends stopped by and spoke in hushed voices;
Old women in print dresses said he had never
Looked better.
Back aways from the house and halfway up the
Hill they carried him to the family plot.
Family and friends pressed forward to hear
The final words of the local preacher
As a cow bellowed and the wind moaned.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
If you are looking for the rhyme and rhythm of Edgar Allan Poe or the poetic expression of Alfred Lord Tennyson, you will not find them in this book. Rather, this is a book of poetry you may actually read. This volume was not written for academics. You will not need an arm-load of reference books or a classical education to understand poems such as: Poor Postured Barn, The Death of Robert Bowman, Cello Delight, and About Robins to mention a few. Mr. Kouns sees his poetry as a conduit between himself and his readers. His poetry is accessible in terms of its readability and simplistic themes. He seeks to establish connections with his readers. There may be a word, or a phrase, or an entire poem that triggers a nearly lost memory or experience. Poetic connections may be no more than warm feelings or irrepressible smiles. Abraham Lincoln said, “God must have loved the common man because he made so many of them.” This book of poetry will appeal to those persons who find strength in their belief systems, who are committed to their families, and who find dignity in their daily work. Yes, this is a-book of poetry you may actually read.
About the Author
David G. Kouns is a retired teacher and principal as well as a former Methodist minister. He holds degrees from Union College (KY), Drew University (NJ), and Xavier University (OH). Born in Ashland, Kentucky he grew up roaming the hills and woods of his native state. Because of his love of nature and the American dream, his poetry was influenced by Walt Whitman, Stephan Crane, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Carl Sandburg, Robert Frost, May Sarton, Jesse Stuart and others. Growing up in the forties and fifties life was simpler and moved at a slower pace. People played their big console radios and sat out on their porches in the evenings. Out of this background and life experience a poet emerged.