House of the Poet: Poems

Dennis Boatright's new poetry collection isn't merely intended to be a chronicle of his personal and spiritual journey over the years; it's also a space to inspire your own creative impulses and invite you to look back on your own life. His work both reflects his own wants and passions and serves as a mirror through which to examine your own. Boatright, who spent fourteen years working on the fifty-two poems he includes, cites one of his main influences as Eastern philosophy. His poems borrow from this theme and delve deep into the spiritual world. He uses a variety of poetry styles, including haiku, to convey his own complex feelings about the world around him and within him. Several of the poems, including "Poem for Spring" and "Paradise," use imagery from the natural world to convey love, yearning, and contentment. Others, like "Paramour," reveal an underlying playfulness. Thoughtful photographs by Don Pasquella reflect the mood Boatright's poems create. Boatright acknowledges that his own journey is not yet over, and his poems show no urgency to get to a specific point along his path. Instead, he relishes the journey and shares the quiet moments that have meant the most to him.