Let Us Give Thanks by Robert Perkins

Perkins noticed one fall season that retailers skipped Thanksgiving and went right to marketing Christmas. He realized that people may not be giving thanks and decided to write poems of thanksgiving. Each poem reflects thanks for something. Some I expected, such as music, friends and heaven. Others were a bit of a surprise, such as GPS, simple farms, and flatware and dishes. The last verse of each poem reflects thanks to God.

For example, in the poem, Giving Thanks for Archeology [sic], the last verse reads:

   Father, You know what's hidden out there

   And You know who will find their share.

      Archeologists [sic] dig and search, Jesus Christ

      Trying to find it at the highest price. (7)

Since I am an avid reader, here is the final verse of the poem Giving Thanks for Books to Read:

   Thank You, Father, for the printed page

   That fills our souls nearly every day.

      Thank You, Jesus, for your Book

      The Holy Bible – it's worth a look. (10)

I felt that some poems could have used a little rewriting. For example, from Giving Thanks for Restaurants:

   Father, I thank you for people who cook

   This is their art form from Your book,

      Jesus You sent them that we might enjoy

      The fruit of their labor -oh boy, oh boy! (43)

The poems rhyme, in general. It seems that sometimes rhyme is more important than content. For example, the last lines from Giving Thanks for Science:

   Thank You, Jesus, for those who seek

   To know You better – starting at your feet. (46)

The poems are straight forward and don't seem to contain deep ideas open to a variety of interpretations.

I am not a poet nor a good judge of poetry, thanks to a discouraging high school English teacher. The poems included in this collection are a nice reminder to be thankful and may serve as inspiration for those who would like to create their own poems.

You can listen to an interview with Perkins here.

My rating: 3/5 stars.

Robert Perkins grew up in Kentucky and Ohio. He suffered epileptic seizures until just recently when his neurologist found the right dosages, canceling out the seizures most of the time. He was challenged in 1993 to write a poem for the writing competition at the community college he was attending. He came in third. Since that time he has penned over 4,000 poems. He and his wife live in Springfield, Ohio.

Book Venture Publishing LLC, 104 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Authors Large and Small. My comments are an independent and honest review.