It is my stop today for WOW! Women On Writing’s tour for Valerie Nifora’s book, I Asked the Wind: A Collection of Romantic Poetry. I liked this collection of poems! From new love to disagreements in relationships, endings and new beginnings, this was a quick book with lots packed in.
I Asked the Wind is a journey into romance, love and loss through poetry. Beautiful and powerful in its lyrical and simple verse, you will find yourself immersed in a world of sensuality, passion, desire, and innocence; all woven together into a tapestry of human emotion.
Drawing on natural elements such as the sun, sand, wind and moon, this collection explores the light and darkness of romantic love. From the exhilaration of love first discovered to the crushing pain of love lost, each poem evokes the intensity of the experience. Universal in its appeal, it raises the question, “Was this love real at all?”
Content Note: None that I could identify.
Why I chose to read I Asked the Wind
This year I have been picking up a variety of poetry, some about love, written in the traditional sense like The Truth about Magic, and others being more like compilations and illustrations (see Julian Peters‘ Poems to See By) and David Ellis’ found poetry. I Asked the Wind is poetry in its traditional manner and I liked its premise so I decided to be part of the tour. 🙂
Themes for Thought
I Asked the Wind brought a number of memories to my mind, whether it was teenage love or being with my partner now. Val’s words were able to express a number of emotions that I have felt, while at the same time, expressed in my own poetry.
This book is divided into 3 parts and the epilogue and for the review, I want to touch on each of these sections.
On New Love
When we first fall in love with someone, every moment with them is sensational – our senses are heightened, every coming and going, meeting and good bye has a new meaning. Val’s poems describe all these emotions really well.
On Sadness
The second part of the collection was about actual good byes and breakups. How we remember the people who mean so much to us because it is not like a ‘break up’ means we don’t love them anymore. We want to be happy for them but we are still in the midst of figuring out who we are when the person we were so close to isn’t there anymore.
On Acceptance
As I have grown older, I have realized how important it is to just feel the sadness and not feel worse about feeling that way. Val’s third collection of poems points to this very realization, where we learn to be ok with the pain and are eventually able to look back at memories without them hurting so much.
On Remembering
I have usually found love poetry to be sad but as I reread the last poem, Your Face, I realized that the meaning we give to words are entirely our own. I could read:
Eyes closed
I Asked the Wind (Epilogue)
I dreamed quietly
Of what
we once were.
Gone now
Time has passed
My heart’s
Saboteur.
as something sad and how the time with this certain person is long past. However, that does not have to be the case. I have been with my partner for many years now and sometimes I do reminisce the time we first met and think fondly of our first couple dates. We have growth a lot with each other and though time has passed, Clinton continues to be my heart’s saboteur.
If you enjoy poetry, this is a collection I would recommend for you. 🙂
** I Asked the Wind: A Collection of Romantic Poetry is available in stores. **
Amazon Print
If you want to know more about the book, check out other stops on the tour. See full list here. Come back for my buddy read discussion about Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe with Ariel and day after to check out my interview with Valerie!
Cover image: Photo by Leonardo Wong on Unsplash
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