Using ink and pen alone, Kenneth weaves with wordplay the timeless portrait of the poet's Muse upon the pages of his debut collection of love poems.
The drifting dour of mist enveils the hill,
Afloods the vale angelic rays alight,
Where waters kiss the sky, a heavenly sight,
This solitude of oak and crystal rill;
The sun retires below the mauvish frill
Of clouds as the moon lifts to lofty height,
The daystar quench'd, that torch of golden light,
Yet on Diana's face it flickers still,
Whose beauty drew Endymion's soft sigh
At night. For Love's a maid in white sateen,
Transparent thoughts, which words will never 'tice
A nectar'd air, which Nature fills the eye
As 'twere a parchment's yellow'd could have been,
Her lines in reverie of paradise.
"To Look Upon Eurydice" is a work unique in the world of poetry today, the author a former free verse poet, forsaking everything about Vers Libre and taking his own less-traveled poetic journey into the past. Those who love romantic verses of an age long ago will find such art, the melodies of rime and meter bound within. Kenneth makes use of a variety of classical forms such as the Spenserian Stanza, the Shakespearean Sonnet, and numerous other lyrical forms. His distinctive style uses a subtle touch of the archaic to transport you to a world of dreams. These ink-stained words have been known to touch the heart and make one ponder and pause with every carefully fashioned line. This is Kenneth's first book, the best of his minor works, illustrated meticulously by his own hand.
Like the mythological Orpheus setting out on his poet's journey to rescue Eurydice, so too do modern poets bring music into the world, often inspired by the loss of something or someone of great worth, the poet's Muse. Thus, this book, divided into three parts, is about such matters of the heart. For anyone who has loved before, these poems touch upon that tranquil feeling. For those who have experienced loss, one may find a few emotive lines that strike a chord within. And, for those who enjoy narrative verse, you will find poems of both modern and ancient lore within: tales such as "Cleopatra and Her Antony."
