Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Spring's Tepid Breath by Sandra Proto is a collection of poems based on the poet's life experiences, journeys, and emotions. The poems take you on the poet's inner journey of self realization and exploration. Many poems in the books are written for her mother after her mother's death. Those poems reveal a longing and love that the poet feels for her. The style of writing is classy and neat. The minimalist structure gives a depth to the words and the emotions that the poet is trying to convey to the reader.

'Vera Lynn Douglas' is a poem dedicated to her mother. It speaks about the simplicity of a woman who dreamed but adjusted happily to what life offered her. 'After we came back' is another moving poem where the poet reminisces about the loss of her parents. The emotions portrayed are not over-dramatic. They reveal the inner strength of the writer who has accepted life for what it is and her decision to make peace with it. Some of the poems are written in the haiku/senryu style; short, stark but profound. It gives a feeling of being in that particular moment.

I liked the collection for various reasons. The poet has portrayed the emotions in a convincing way using the minimalist approach. The words convey an inner turmoil and a sense of loss very effectively. The poems from the beginning to the last one are tied in together to give that feeling of being connected with each other which gives a continuity while reading.