BawB’s Raven Feathers: Vol. V, by Robert Chomany, is a delightful, quick read sure to bring inspiration to your day, and a smile to your face. I loved the author’s insights in the very first prose section, and, of course, it made me think of my niece’s favourite movie- Frozen. In the movie, Queen Elsa has an entire song devoted to ‘letting go’.
Chomany pointed out that letting something go can be hard, and that often people telling us this don’t care so much about our mental well-being as they do about us moving on. Moving on can be very difficult, especially without support. The author points out that when you can finally let go of something, a feeling of peace and freedom ensues. So true! What follows are several poetic offerings to help let go of the small things in life that can seriously sap our strength unnecessarily.
The second section focuses on journeys, and how they can change you. Sometimes journeys are necessary to find where you truly belong, and who you truly are. It took a move of 3000 miles for me to begin to achieve that. And without it, I’d likely not be reading this lovely book. There is also the admonition to be mindful when you walk, travel, etc. As before, a prose section is followed by several inspiring poems.
The next section starts with a prose piece on being present, what it means, and the importance of it. Chomany believes the most important time to be present is when you are looking in a mirror. Being present in the Now is another form of mindfulness, and the following poetic morsels reinforce this.
Section four is about the value of learning, and how to embrace it. I love to learn, so this section really resonated with me. Prose points out that every moment is an opportunity to learn something- about yourself, about the world around you. It and the poems all reinforce the lessons on being mindful.
The section on dreams had me a bit confused. It seemed more focused on dreams as ideals, instead of sleep induced dreams. Dreams as ideals help set our goals and give us focus.
The last section is on change, something I don’t handle well at all! Even so, a quote near and dear to me is ‘Auguries of destruction be a lullaby for rebirth.’, from the song Key to Twilight, and that’s really what this section is all about. Changes foster growth. It’s up to us if that growth is good or bad, and that comes from how we perceive it.
Recommended for any with a poet’s soul, so well-written are they. If this is Vol. V, I want to go find the other volumes!
***This book was reviewed for Reader’s Favourite.