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Reviewed by Lori M for Readers' Favorite
In this collection of poems, David McDonald lays out the ugly truth of war and its negative effects on soldiers and on our planet. The poem, "A Poppy," was heartwarming in that it expressed the feelings of a flower who wanted to honor the fallen soldiers who had died in the field where it grows. In "Enlistment," I had trouble following the poem because the cadence was off-synch somehow and didn't have a natural rhythm by which to read it. McDonald's "Count the Cost" reminds us of the truest cost of war -- the deaths of our sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives.
Some poems in this book were more metaphorical than others. I enjoyed the descriptiveness and symbolism in the piece titled "Staff Officer." He describes the staff officer as a devil who wears a cap badge made of a golden lion over a golden crown.
I think that veterans and families of soldiers would find this book very appealing and relatable. According to the introduction, the author wrote this book as the first of a planned trilogy of books of poetry dealing with life in the military and its effects on those around them.
Thank you, David McDonald, for your 18 years of military service. The author started writing poetry five years ago as a way to cope with combat-related post traumatic stress disorder. I hope that he is able to continue to write given that he has suffered several strokes and is now bound to a wheelchair.
