★★★★★

Kaleidoscope of Being by Jennifer Toth takes the reader through an intimate journey of the author’s life starting with her embrace of Jesus as one who gives her guidance, to dark times as expressed in poems such as “Dark Night of the Soul” and “I Will Overcome,” to feelings of hope that dot many of the 51 poems in this volume of work. Her previous work, From Dark to Light, is also powerful. This recent book expresses an older Toth, with more life experience under her belt. Toth uses a lot of imagery in her work, especially with references to the natural environment to express her complex thoughts and feelings. Images of nature become more pronounced as she notes the changing seasons and how it affects her in poems such as “Ode to Spring,” “On a Snowy Day,” and “Second Chance.” “Lucky” is somewhat of a whimsical poem that pays tribute to some of her artistic heroes such as Mozart, Monet, Ansel Adams, Robert Frost, and Emily Dickenson. Throughout much of this volume of work, Toth addresses God and Jesus Christ in times of hope and despair and she listens to the words of the Lord as she deals with mental illness and other challenges. “Off the Beaten Path” is certainly a turning point in the book as Toth expresses a hopeful future. Kaleidoscope of Being is a testament of Jennifer Toth’s maturity as a poet. It is haunting, hopeful, and everything in between. A must read.

★★★★★

★★★★★

★★★★★

Kaleidoscope of This inspiring book of poetry takes the reader through one woman’s struggle with manic depression and her ability to transcend the pain and emotional turmoil the mood disorder renders. The book opens with the poet’s stance on poetry itself in “Freedom For the Words” where she states, “Whatever drips down is what I say–.” Her last poem, “Just Words,” reiterates her approach to poetry. Rolling Waters does not conform to traditional writing standards, which makes her poems so honest and real to the reader. The book follows with a set of poems that are rather dark, such as “Of Madness,” “Can’t Find My Way Home,” “Down on My Knees,” and “Help.” In the midst of much despair, the imagery of Waters poems is powerful. In both her “dark” and “light” poems, she uses a lot of imagery from nature to describe feeling states. For example, in “Can’t Find My Way Home,” Waters expresses, “Tripping and falling/ Over snowflakes/ I merge with the nighttime sky;” In her transition from darkness, she writes the poem, “Red Roses.” It opens, “I felt a gust of wind/Sailing through the air/ And reaching out its arms/It enveloped me right there.” Her latter poems are a recognition of her new perspectives on life that are filled with hope and promise. Especially noteworthy are, “This is Life,” and “A Blessed One.” I would recommend this book not just to people struggling with manic depression, but people who understand the human condition, with all its ups and downs.