The poetry of Paul Gerard Dextraze is the antidote to the winter doldrums. Over the past nine years he has written forty poems with the intent of passing on his creative thoughts to his grandchildren. However, through the power of the Internet, anyone can benefit from his uplifting verses.
Hope is the common theme of his poetry collection titled simply: Poet. Broken into nine categories ranging from God's glory revealed in nature to the full range of human emotions as seen from a Christian lens, Dextraze's work is infused with the spirit of Gerard Manley Hopkins, and just in time for spring. Be prepared to be surrounded (mentally) by images of daisies, butterflies, and the glorious ocean at dusk. Look closely, there's more to these images than meets the eye. Detraze creates metaphors in technicolor.
Here's an excerpt:
Morning Moon
Like a prince before the king
Supplanted now, but lingering;
Clinging to the brightening skies,
Wondering where his glory lies
It lies among the lesser lights,
When crickets greet the autumn nights,
When stars above and lamps below
Are humbled by your ivory glow.
-Paul Dextraze
In "A Northern Cardinal Visits a Fool," Dextraze points to the beauty of contrast in nature; the bright red cardinal on a snow-covered landscape acts as a red flag of hope that spring is approaching.
"Shoebox" recounts a parent's grief over the loss of a child, but ends rooted in a faith that the child lives with Christ.
"Lonely Path" is one of my favorites; it is reminiscent of the work of Robert Frost. God's love is "whispered" in the trees and surrounding nature as the speaker walks alone.
Several poems display a skillful use of personification. While "Nature's Celebration" points out the hints in nature of the hope of the Resurrection of Christ, "Darlene's Pet Goats" has more of a whimsical tone.
A reverence for nature and human life is conveyed throughout this collection, which also includes a moving poems titled "Tiny Heart," about the unborn.
Paul Dextraze's verses in Poet, are uplifting, true, and beautiful. Anyone interested in this wonderful book of poetry may email Paul at callmedex@comcast.net for the free pdf. (Mr. Dextraze was kind enough mail me a hard copy of his poetry collection. More information about Poet can be found on my friend Elizabeth's blog, The Divine Gift of Motherhood.)
3 comments:
Thank you, Loren! I am grateful to you and to Elizabeth for giving my book such positive exposure. I hope to reach many readers with my book.
--Paul
It was my pleasure, Paul, to tell others about your poetry. Thank you for the book.
Lonely Path made me think of that poem by Robert Frost that includes the line "I have many miles before I sleep" (or something like that). I remember analyzing it in high school. I am glad you enjoyed Dextraze's poety as much as I did!
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