Songs before Dawn: A Collection of Traditional Love Poems Paperback – Import, 9 November 2017

There is a school of thought that art must always be evolving, innovating in form and structure. It is the worship of the new, as if each age demands its own style, its own hip or contemporary inventions that better reflect changing times. But the art that lasts and is able to navigate changing tastes is about universal themes. Times may change, but the compelling nature of human life doesn't. The challenge of living a life and experiencing the timeless emotions of love, sadness, hope, death and loss, represent the permanent seasons of our existence. And we cleave to the art that expresses those feelings and their unchanging centrality in our existence. Bach and Brahms rarely if ever truly innovated, but they brought together all of the means of expression of the past to write music for the ages. Many great artists add nothing new to the lexicon of poetic expression, but tap into a deep legacy and lovingly continue its lifespan. Adonna Gipe is this kind of artist, one who is most comfortable using the poetic forms of past masters, tweaking them to her needs, and adding her distinctive voice as she deals with the oldest and most unconquerable themes of human love. She doesn't dance around in bright new costumes to impress or draw attention to herself. She focuses on the feelings that reveal themselves to her, allowing her vulnerability to find that voice and express itself as authentically as possible. The forms are traditional, the rhymes and rhythms are well-seasoned, and the subject is always the human heart. Nor are any of the poems anchored in a special epoch. They are universal and exist in a place where time stops, and in that silence we find ourselves nodding that, yes, we know that feeling, we have had that shade or light pass over us. Everything of value is old, tried and true, and has been here since the first poet recognized there is nothing new under the sun. If Adonna Gipe's style is old-fashioned, so is everything we valuein this continuing story the human race tells itself. She is one of the poets who carry that legacy forward with charm, grace, and insight.

The first time I viewed this book in the Kindle version, I was extremely disappointed because, the way the pages were laid out, some of the poems had most of the lines on one page and then the last one or two lines on a following page. It was a bit confusing to read that way, and not at all attractive, but now I see the page turning is no longer a problem. The book scrolls smoothly from beginning to end, with no breaks in the poems at all. The only error I found was a poem repeated two pages in succession, but that isn’t a big problem. The book is much more readable now, in its new format.

The author is just as lovely as her written words. There is something for everyone.What a gentle spirit. Thank you for sharing your gift of insight and love.

Adonna Gipe is one of my favorite poets. Her verse flows beautifully as her poems of faith and love inspire the reader. She is perhaps one of the most aesthetic poets I know. Her book will be a prized addition to anyone's personal library.

Every poem is a delight that brings a story to life. Each is amazingly well written and gives joy. I very highly recommend "Songs Before Dawn" to readers who search for variety in poems filled with love!