Watson’s collection seizes one’s senses. Much of the poetry takes an imagist approach, using free verse poems with spare language to generate vivid, concrete images in the mind. That said, there are a number of poetic styles that appear throughout, including: haiku, tanka, sonnets (in Book X), and various lyrical variations. While natural imagery features prominently, there’s also surrealist, ethereal visuals in play as well.

The poems are arranged into ten sections, and while each book has an overarching theme there are themes that seem to cut across books. The titular notion of something buried is one of these. Another such concept is the journey.

The second section generates an expansive feeling of space as well as time. Book III intrigued me as it focused on organization, assembly, and the creation of something out of pieces and parts – which created a unique feel. Books IV and V shifted focus to hearing rather than seeing, though it largely did so by invoking the action of music creation and dance.

The book presents paintings from the fifteenth century through to the present-day throughout the book. Many of these artworks begin various sections of the collection and give one a flash of insight into the theme that will play out through that section. However, there are numerous poems that are presented as homages to paintings – notably, the whole of book VIII is poems based on tarot card imagery and subject matter.

While the majority of the paintings referenced have Western origins, one also sees Eastern influences at various points in the collection – both in the poems and in some of the paintings. Asian influences are most explicitly experienced in Book IX, which features several poems of Chinese or Japanese inspiration. The last section presents a few sonnets amid free verse poems.

I enjoyed this collection and would highly recommend it for poetry readers or those who love the visual arts, particularly those curious to see how a poet creates another dimension of experience in the realm of visceral sensation.

The exclusive quiet of the morning, the jumpstart feeling you get when you wake up early in the morning before the world has started.
The paintings transfer you to a softer world of water, leaves and nature over all. But with words you fathom the depths of it too.

Sun sailor
Do sun sailors
not use the stars
and the wind?

Very accessible poetry. The kind that will make you look for the eternity in the ordinary,

"she slides her problems into their
compartments but still they get
all tangled up"
.
I'm an occasional poetry reader. But the themes from this poems really caught my attention and I decided to give it a try.
And it was mostly good. How it deals with love, and how it refers to nature. The way it spokes about true freedom. The rythm and musicality. It was very well done, and overall enjoyable.
I really like how the author paired some of the poems with famous pictures and paintings, I think it added some clarification and dept to the words.
It's better read slowly, processing the different "books" or chapters on their own and in the whole.
.
"in the dark
caverns of desire
the lust of her touch has wrapped me in a fire"

“Burnt like embers, burnt like the sea- alone in time, and dead to me”

Such a descriptive read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

These are poems written to images that resonate with myth and mystery. The poems are hypnotic, dream-like, they enter the world of trance and tarot. Read them with a candle burning. Read them to connect with what is eerie, as a door into a spell or a seance. They are spare, but there are many of them. They evoke feelings, memories, emotions. Do not let their simplicity fool you into thinking that they are simple. They are doors to whatever the night holds, its power, and magic. I find them alluring. They teach me how to hear the wild, forbidden parts of me.

In the Dark, Soft Earth
Poetry of Love, Nature, Spirituality, and Dreams
by Frank Watson

Plum White Press LLC
Plum White Press
Literary Fiction | Poetry
Pub Date 07 Jul 2020


I am reviewing a copy of In the Dark, Soft Earth through Plum White Press and Netgalley:





Due to the subject matters in this collection of poetry, I would not recommend this to readers under the age of sixteen.


In this collection of poetry, you will find yourself digging into poetry that deals with the dark, the sultry and you will find yourself ruminating the searing to the sultry as you absorb this haunting lilt of burning carnality. The poems ignite rapid and surprising shifts in focus and perspective as they twist and turn your preconceptions, allowing the implications to linger in your thoughts.



The vignette verses in this book include workings of love, , nature, and spirituality, as well with dreams with sprinklings of tarot symbolism and jazzy blues. Together these the Dark, Soft Earth

I give In the Dark, Soft Earth, four out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I appreciated not just the poems but the art work included to add structure and compliment the collection. Each art piece gave me a sense of the tone of each section of poetry. Poetry is a profoundly personal experience but I especially resonated with the poem Leaf After Leaf in the Pure Wind. It was beautiful. Some of the poems were quite short, which can be a way to cut to the bone of things but some just left me wanting a few more lines or another stanza.

Poetry opens up the doors of perspective into someone's interpretation of the world. It's another way of experiencing language and writing. I consider myself a novice of poetry and yet I quickly found myself becoming enthralled. What I love about poetry is how each individual can find their own meaning and personal interpretation.

IN THE DARK, SOFT EARTH -- the cover and title initially captured my attention. Feelings of love, nature, spirituality, and dreams created a very earthy and ethereal atmosphere albeit dark at times. Frank Watson was able to create sensational verses which evoked strong feelings within my soul. An assortment of emotions came bubbling to the surface, demanding to be felt. I found myself gracefully navigating between pages of landscapes filled with peace and tranquility to jazz filled sultry evenings.

I believe everyone will find a little something of what they're looking for within this work. IN THE DARK, SOFT EARTH will be a collection that I revist many more times in the future and I look forward to any gained perspective during rereads.

Moving words the capture even a novice poetry reader from the beginning. Illustrations accompany and provoke deeper meaning and thought. Words and tone reassure and soothe a troubled soul, particularly during an unsettling time of crisis and pandemic chaos.

I enjoyed the book, It was quick and pleasant read. I highlighted about 9 poems that resonated me and that I would definitely revisit but in a few parts of the book I found that I found that wasn't getting into the poetry. I felt like in some of the poems there was description that confused me more than it gave understanding or conveyed feelings, though a nice read overall.

Poetry has always been a genre that I admire from afar. I write a few poems every now and then, and lyrics are my favorite thing about music, but other than that, I don’t read many poems. I saw IN THE DARK, SOFT EARTH on NetGalley and it caught my eye because of its concept regarding nature. I was not disappointed.

Frank Watson’s works are very fluid – this is a very quick read that makes sense in its entirety and delivers beautiful mental images. The author is very good at painting pictures with his words through the various short poems. The illustrations included every few pages are also a great addition to the writing. The chapter in which every tarot card inspired a poem was my favorite – especially the one for the Magician.

This is absolutely perfect for a rainy day. I will most definitely reread this sometime soon.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me an e-ARC.

1.5 out of 5

The main aspect that attracted me to pick this up was the little sub-title that read: “Poetry of Love, Nature, Spirituality, Dreams,” so I figured I would be getting into some romanticism-inspired poetry. But I was wrong. None of the poems filled me with wonder or awe. Each one felt like a random cluster of pretty words trying to create some sort of meaning. The formatting isn’t personally my taste and the lack of punctuation mark made it even more confusing. I had to actively sound out the poems out loud to see if I could understand them better that way. Still didn’t help much. I understand that poetry is personal to each individual but I could not understand what sort of message the author was trying to get across. Instead of feeling inspired by the end, I just felt exhausted after spending the whole book trying to decipher each poem.

An incredibly touching poetry collection. It is beautifully written, the language techniques the author uses really help in diving deep into the book and its story. I also really enjoyed that different parts of the book were written in a different way. With this, you could see the difference in the "mood" of the book in different parts.
The poems are connected in an interesting and flowy way: this book is a story of love, it is a story of dreams and feelings.
I truly love books that can be interpreted in different ways. This one is among such books. One can see it as a journey of one protagonist. It can also be seen as different stories connected by the same theme.
Some of the poems really touched me, and I think other people will not be an exception - everyone will find something for them in this book.
Also, the illustrations in the book are gorgeous and really add to the atmosphere.

Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves poetry!

Absolutely beautiful!! The poems have a beautiful choice of words that pull you in to the visualization of the authors words. This is a book I would read over and over and get a different picture in my head every time.

This poet did an amazing job! His words and images help readers understand what is being said in each stanza. I like how powerful each poem stood for its meaning and the beautiful titles to each poem. I would reccomend this to other poets and present his piece of work in a classroom setting. My favorite poem is the seashells on the shore and the Native American image and the poem conected to it.

Thanks for Netgalley & respective publishers for sending me a copy.

Intriguing ! !
Wonderful verse of Metaphor and Hyperbole ! !

This book Poetry has some deep and thoughtful poems, but what happened that Rhythm wasn't captivating which would hold the reader. I think I felt that might be because I've read very ancient poems in my life.
Recommended for poetry readers, as this would astonished you with personification in those simple words.

I enjoyed this tremendously, though but wouldn't necessarily be one the kind of book that I usually sought out. The poems are endowed with such beauty and mystery.

Entertaining and intresting collection of poetry.

Well written with stuning art.

Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC

Loved the poetry and nice inclusions of the paintings and major arcana. Not a whole lot of words in the poems but makes the poems what they are - very well done.

the poetry written was somewhat simplistic and have heard some of the phrases prior , would not consider this a work of art at any case , many seemed to be too short