JUST THINKING: A Review

I read this collection of poems by blogger and author Colin Chappell as part of my celebration of National Poetry Month in April. As Colin describes his book, it is…

“A little book

for when

you have

a little time

with some

little writings,

which may produce

some little

thoughts.”

And producing thoughts based on his thoughts is exactly what Just Thinking did for me. I had already read and enjoyed, Who Said I Was Up for Adoption,? Chappell’s account of himself and Ray, his rescued dog, so I was not surprised to find Colin was a good writer, but his poetry is outstanding.

Part 1, “My Friend, Ray,” describes many things I had read on Colin Chappell’s blog, meandray.com  ,  as Colin describes, it, it tells about “one calculating dog…and one unsuspecting human.”

Part 2, “Relationships” was about just that, and my favorite poem in this section was one titled, “Adrift,” which I used with my Advanced Writing class.

Part 3 was more miscellaneous and had some fine poems in it.

Part 4, “Tina and Other Stories,” dealt with the heartbreak of “people on the street,” the title poem, “Tina,” a poem about a homeless woman selling flowers.

Another thing that made this collection special was that all proceeds from the sale of the book went towards Colin’s daughter’s medical expenses. (Two poem by her are included with Colin’s.)

It’s not too late to celebrate poetry even though the national recognition has ended for 2018. Purchase a copy of Just Thinking. Your life will be richer for it.

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