Wish Upon A Dandelion by C Swart

This poetry collection has such a tender title but such strength in the words of poetry it contains. Some stand out poems to me were: Creatives, about how creative people pick everything apart in everyday life unable to stop doing so as it's natural and expressing feelings through art. Lifetimes, about our lifetime's being a collection of moments that make us during our lifetime as we live amongst others lifetime's too. I Am A Collection Of, was a beautiful reflective poem about how we are made up of the moments and memories made we and live through. Comfortable In The Dark, was a really relatable poem about how at night you can feel at peace and comforted by the darkness and anonymity the nighttime world can provide. Worthy, was a poem about how caring for others is easy to do so. Just A Kiss, was a poem all about the beauty of romantic connection, the anticipation and the participation of two people just figuring out their spark of feelings. This was a lovely well rounded collection touching upon the most deep and tender parts of human connection and what we can wish for to experience, a great loop back into the meaning of the title again.

Riddles and Remedies: Poems about life, love and loss by C. Swart

This poetry collection focuses on the power of language as connection whether through reading or speaking and also focuses on the beauty of night-time falling and feeling small in the world under the cover of the night sky and at peace as nature speaks. Some stand out poems to me were: Your Hands, how the one you love so deeply can affect you simply by touch. Poetry Falls, about how easily you can write and be a poet when it's in your nature and it flows from you as natural as breathing. A beautiful book and fantastic intriguing title alluding to how as a poet to others you can be seen as writing or speaking in riddles but the writing to you is therapy.

Life Disorder: poetry, prose and affirmations by Ginnie Bale

This poetry collection focuses, trigger warning, on sexual assault and the aftermath you face in continuing on in life after, one clever and simple note to be included is a definition of sorts about the difference between depression and sadness. Having no tears and feeling numb or being full ready to overflow at any second completely weighed down by deep sadness. Some stand out poems to me were: Bad Habits, how we can easily tear ourselves apart and not see the strength and beauty of ourselves that others do and bury our feelings and emotions behind smiles and conceal tears wuthin until we feel safe to release them. Safe Harbour, about being the place people come trusting to be heard and held in times of pain. First Aid Kit For Emotional Wounds, all about ways to help heal your own pain and little things to boost your mood and cope with everything you've faced it was a great lost form poem. The collection was fantastic, from the openness it discusses life after such an event and from the title really fitting the way life falls into and feels disordered after everything you've lived through, survived and learn to thrive again in healing.

The Shape Of Loss by Kate Taviner

This poetry collection focuses on the pain of losing someone you love what it leaves behind and the grief that stays. Some stand out poems to me were: The Ward, about loss and how losing someone you love can make your thoughts linger on the turning point moment seeing past and your now present for you alone now. Stepping, about daring to embrace the future and step into the unknown to find better, how brave, bold and daring to try is after loss. This collection is like someone talking to you saying I understand and I get what you're going through and how the shape of any loss of a life in your life also changes you from before and after now.

Ode To An Embryo by Dawn Apiarist

This poetry collection focuses on early pregnancy loss, the hopes for the tender life that was then so cruelly taken away before it had a chance to flourish and explores all the emotions you can feel as a would have been mum facing the heartbreak of losing the chance to have your baby. A stand out poem to me simply titled, Death, was a simple poem reflecting on how people can consider a death of an embryo no loss as it was so early, yet, the fact is that was a life taking shape no matter how early and this collection honours the tender early life that never hot the chabce to flourish.

Love Lies by SaDee Hodge

In SaDee's newest collection of poetry she writes about the deep feelings developing in safety from a truly loving equal connection and the impact of kids and dogs in helping bring joy and love and how when you finally feel settled life can become uprooted unexpectedly and when unwanted. Another deep feeling look into experiences of relationships, trust, PTSD trauma and love.

Forget Me Not: Poems on Loss by Charly White

This poetry collection focuses on grief and the effects of loss, touching on the subject of dementia and how it can feel to be around a loved one adapting to the situation you face now together, during after after loss too. It was such a relatable and devastating collection of poetry about a loved one being lost to dementia over time feeling like you're grieving all over again with every change that happens in the timeline after diagnosis towards the end, a reflective, sad but courageously written book.

Before We Do… On Purpose by T.Euke

This collection was all about the anticipation between two people and the emotions stirred between tension and opportunity building from things we observe in not just words but closeness of actions, scent, how we linger and when you finally make a move, the way it can leave you questioning and hoping after finally letting the tension break and actions lead to reactions, all on purpose choosing each other. I loved the flow of this poetic story of want, need and the way tension building and breaking between two people can lead to a becoming.

Embrace The Dark by SaDee Hodge

SaDee's newest collection of poetry is another powerful honest read and as always, some poems really hit me deeply: Helix Of Survival, was a poem about the danger a partner can make you feel by their hand and a few lines in particular resonated so hard with teenage me: 'survivors don't talk about the aftermath of escaping death' & 'survival takes its toll' both parts of that poem I feel deeply because teenage me experienced similar dangerous behaviour from another's actions. Stream Of Conscious Thoughts, was again so relatable about writing being an escape when facing bad times in life and to cope writing becomes your therapy. Revenge Not So Sweet, was a poem so understandable and relatable how you can feel nothing is truly yours anymore after such a relationship and how that can make you wish you could flip it and make them understand how you felt in the dangerous situation they made you face. Witching Hour Confessions, was a really great relatable poem again about late night thinking and how your overthinking and deepest thoughts can come spilling out in the comfort of darkness and being alone. The dedication to Eve, as well saying my reviews have been noticed was so touching and SaDee if you read this review too, thank you for writing your story and sharing it so others facing dangerous situations in relationships know they're not the only one's and that others out here understand too, never stop writing!

Poems For Ari by Shona More

This book of poetry was a tender collection in tribute to Ari, Shona's little boy, who sadly passed away after suffering with chronic kidney disease. Some stand out poems of this collection to me were: Suitcase, about returning home with item's only and not your beloved baby. Some Days, was a poem about the simple way grief changes day to day and the emotions that it brings day in day out you learn to adapt with. What If? Was a fantastic poem linking nature, hope and grief in searching for signs you can belive in to be from your loved one that has passed. This was a collection of some beautiful long poems which show the depth of a mother's love and even more touching wad the way every poem nearly of the collection ends, Love You Forever, as if reaching out with the words directly to her son, a beautiful loving touch.