Caged: Poems of Love and Loss for People Who Need to Grieve and Grow (Heather Grace Stewart Poetry)

The Canadian writer Heather Grace Stewart has in recent years made quite a name for herself as a novelist. There are in fact some short prose pieces in this collection; but mainly there are poems, mostly quite short - some actual haiku or tanka-length - covering a wide span of time in her creative development.Whether working in free verse or in sometimes complex rhyme schemes, HGS has the knack of being accessible without slipping into cliché. Like so many good poets, she looks closely at the everyday, the seemingly trivial, but can relate what she sees to the wider world. Her message tends toward the uplifting, the inspiring, but she is not naïve; wars and terrorism and loneliness exist, and she isn't afraid to write about them. Deep and good poetry needn't be hard to understand; most of these pieces are good examples.

In her latest book, Canadian writer Heather Grace Stewart returns to her roots with a volume of poetry and photography titled “Caged: New and Selected Poems.” It could just as easily be titled “Heart.” Each poem is an exploration, a revelation, a discovery, a celebration, a wringing, tickling or caressing of the human heart.Celebrating 25 years as a published poet, Ms. Grace Stewart takes the reader on a walk through her life as youngster, daughter, lover, wife, mother and citizen of not only her beloved Canada (the subject or background of several of her poems) but of the world. And at each stop along the way, she brings you closer so you can not only hear the story she wishes to tell, but close enough to feel its heartbeat. Even the heartbeat warmth she can find surrounding a Twitter tweet.And so Ms. Grace Stewart observes her twenty-fifth year as a published poet by sharing with readers 100 pieces of verse and prose, illustrated by her own photography. But this celebration in words is a gift to the reader who joins her on this quarter-century journey through the uncaged heart of an artist of great depth, joy and insight.

A great selection of poems filled with heart and inspiration. I highly recommend it to anyone in the mood to read great poetry.