Book Review #15

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 Still The Animals Enter

by Jane Hilberry

  Reading poetry was always an off-and-on thing for me. I don't know if I have ever mentioned it before. Especially in middle and high school. I was often on the fence on whether or not I enjoyed reading it or not. High school almost tilted me totally off poetry, especially when it was time to analyze it. Personally, I won't ever fully analyze a poem. I will recognize some patterns or themes, and I will appreciate the choices of phrasing or words, but I won't go into truly dissecting it or trying to figure out if what kind of meter it has or if it has a specific flow. I just enjoy it for what it is. 

  This poetry collection is one that I would recommend to someone who needs something fun to read, but also something to pick up on the deeper aspects of poetry. All three sections of this collection follow a bigger flow, but also smaller flows by themselves. I am a fan of that kind of thing, only because it definitely makes a collection more fun to read and follow along with. And yes, before any poetry enthusiasts comment mentally, I know most poetry collection follow some sort of grand theme flow. I just think this poetry collection does it better than some of the others I've read. And it's more apparent for those who don't deep dive into poetry and just want to take a quick dip. 

  I also appreciate the fact that a lot of poems in this collection include references to animals that are local to Colorado. As a Colorado native myself, I enjoy recalling my own experiences similar to Hilberry's, especially with deer. Yes, have fun finding all those references if you grab a copy of this collection yourself.

  Of course, for those who know this current form of me, I love that at least one poem mentions squirrels. To my memory on typing this. 

  Overall, I like this poetry collection, and I think those who want to read poetry without getting too deep in the analysis or just want to read something fun would also like this poetry collection. It has also given me pause for thought to go write my own poetry about squirrels again. So thank you for that, Ms. Hilberry. Both for giving me this inspiration back in college and now again about a decade later.

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