The Path to Kindness: Poems of Connection and Pleasure

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens….” this book is “My Favorite Things” in book format!
“The Path to Kindness: Poems of Connection and Joy” is another luscious collection of poetry compiled by the amazing James Crews that uplifts and warms the heart with each word. In this world that finds so many dealing with stress and trauma, James Crews has once again found a way to gift us with poetry that helps us to shift our perspective from one of fear and anxiety to one of hope and GRATITUDE.One of the things I cherish the most about James Crews’ anthologies is his gift to present us with poetry that helps us to acknowledge the simple things in life that are right in front of our eyes…..things that we very often take for granted. With poems such as “Passenger” which shares about cherishing a child’s bedtime and their precious need to connect and be held, to the poem “Self Care” (written beautifully by James himself) which helps us to remember to slow down and that “busyness” is not something to aspire to, each of these poems are gold nuggets of goodness that will leave you with a smile on your face and the feeling of your heart being hugged.We need more poets like James Crews in this world in order to heal our hearts and find connection with each other once again. I was a huge fan of James’ work prior to reading “The Path to Kindness”, and this new volume of poems by him has just made my admiration grow. These are poems you will want to read over and over….I know I sure will be!

Beautiful Authentic Poetry
I half expected that I’d send this book back because I don’t expect much from poetry with a preset emotional agenda. Artists are artists because they are true to their unique self-expression. But I was surprised and impressed and inspired by the authenticity of these poems. Would make a nice gift for anyone. We who love poetry should gift poetry as much as possible. What better way to open hearts and minds? 🐚🪺🕊️

Beautiful and Inspiring!
This book has poems from many different poets on all types of subjects that all lead back to kindness, love, and joy. Each poem has a little snippet of beauty, something we can recognize around us in life and say “this is a good thing.”I like how simple many of the poems are. They cut right to the heart of something that we usually overlook: a child swimming, a family getting waffles at a hotel, a tulip, a heartbeat, the smell of clean laundry.But just because the poems point us to the beauty in life doesn’t mean that they shy away from the sad or ugly things. There are several poems that talk about someone with cancer, or grieving the loss of a loved one. Even in the distressing and sad things, there can be a type of beauty if we look closely for that silver lining.Like most things, there were a few poems that really spoke to me, and others that I did not like. In general, I prefer poetry that rhymes and has meter, which these do not. I’m not usually a fan of modern poetry, but some of these poems are beautifully crafted.I love the pretty design of this edition, and the gorgeous deckled edges of the pages! There is something so luxurious about deckled edges. It’s the little details that made this book so special, like the one-paragraph bios of each poet and the reading group questions at the back of the book. Some of the poems have a famous quote with them that inspired or somehow matches the poem. There are also pages with a “Reflective Pause” that gives a short explanation of one of the poems, and invites the reader to explore the deeper meaning with some prompts and questions.This book makes such a lovely gift, and would be a great way to start reading more modern poetry! You could even use this book as a sort of meditation, since it is so full of joy and light!Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Life affirming poems and diverse voices
Today, more than ever, we need words that affirm the sweetness of daily life and nourish us. This collection does that and includes a diversity of voices and topics. I enjoyed it so much, I bought 2 additional copies for friends.

Adoro os livros de James Crews! Sempre que ele lança algum eu compro…Tantos os livros dele de poesia mesmo quanto esses que envolvem poemas de autores diversos são lindos , admiráveis e reconfortantes…Todos deveriam ser traduzidos pra português…Nos dias de hoje a poesia se faz necessária porque ,como diz Chaplin, sentimos muito pouco e este livro como outros organizados e escritos por James Crews nos fazem ter bons sentimentos e aquecem nosso coração…❤️. Comprem sem medo e de coração aberto.