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A sensitive and nuanced journey through the author's life portrayed in myriads of emotional poems

Synopsis

kaleidoscope of colors II is the sixth poetry collection by award-winning author Robert A. Cozzi. This collection picks up where the first left off, and fans will not be disappointed. His prose and poetry explore the emotions of hope, loss, grief, friendship, and love with the raw authenticity readers have come to expect. Cozzi deftly whittles these universal experiences down into a deeply personal yet relatable moment in time. There are no chapters. Each turn of the page is like the turn of the kaleidoscope wheel, seamlessly blending and flowing together, taking the reader on a colorful exploration of the human experience.

Reading this collection feels like taking a brief journey into the life of the narrator. The poems are thoughtful but not mere flights of fantasy, where the nuances stop having any relevance. Here you will find brilliant poetry portraying deeper emotions as the narrator himself grapples with grief, loss, love and friendship. Reflecting his various sensations in such a humane and sensitive way invites and keeps us enraptured. It's the beauty in simple descriptions of sharing a watermelon with a lover or watching someone you care about from a distance and admiring them, that holds our attention curiously.

One of the best thing about these poems is that they capture both the fleeting and the persisting memories with equal tenderness, like the winter sunlight that dissolves softly into night, the untamed wind on a summer afternoon dishevelling locks of hair on someone's forehead. While Robert doesn't shy away from his own feelings and his queer identity, he also encourages the reader to have an open mind as he smoothly guides us through the different periods of his lifetime. The lines flow like water, naturally with a rhythm of it's own. Here's a quote to illustrate that, "And when we hug hello/I hear you make the sound I have come to love/A little sigh of happiness/And all my irritation/Simply drains away".

It would be limiting to call this just a mere collection of poetry because it is so much more, in how it depicts the city of New York, the music scene during the late 1980s, the kind of treatment or prejudice the LGBTQ+ community had to live with, and the almost universal expectation of people to move on from a personal loss. There are a few letters, written in a candid confessional tone, that reads like a journal entry, and some passages that describe cherished memories of loved ones. Overall, if you love reading sensitive nuanced poetry, you will find it worth your time and if you are a newcomer to this style, you would be convinced to try more by the time you are a few pages into it.

Reviewed by

Published Indian author, freelance editor/proofreader and educator, currently living in France and reviewing books to support indie authors. Love reading poetry, short fiction and children's books. Not connected to Stripe, so kindly PayPal me @shrubaboti if you wish to support me, thanks! 📚💜

Synopsis

Foreword

Name: kaleidoscope of colors II
Item: kaleidoscope of colors II
Rating: 5
Author: Shrubaboti Bose

I first met Robert A. Cozzi in 2019 in the beautiful world that is the Instagram poetry community. At the time, I was a new poet still writing under a pseudonym and shocked that an award-winning poet would reach out to me asking for more of my work. But that’s Robert, a friend, and mentor to all creatives. We exchanged our published books and our intimate stories and, in the process, forged a friendship that is poetry itself.

From the very first word of his poems to cross my lips to the advanced copy of this manuscript at my side, Robert whisks me away like Alice to his Wonderland. His work deliciously teases all six senses and takes the reader on an emotional technicolor exploration of the human experience. I still wonder how he manages to deftly describe the duality of my deepest pain alongside a never-ending joy and wonder at the beauty that surrounds me as if he’s been reading my private journal entries.

kaleidoscope of colors II continues where the first left off, an ever-changing pattern of imagery and emotion in prose and poetry that flow together seamlessly with each turn of the page. If you’re new to Robert’s work, I beg you to read each piece aloud. That is the best way to savor the flavor of the words on your tongue. Pause to breathe in the ocean air on Folly Beach and feel the gritty Jersey shore sand between your toes.

Let the drumbeat overtake you as your heart syncs up in joy, grief, missed opportunities, desire, unwavering hope, and a relentless belief in love and humanity.

Enjoy the journey.

-Lisa Bain

*************************************************************************

A Burst of Blue

I am in love with the expansiveness of the world

I am in love with everyone

It is almost akin to following a trail of blue crystal beads

The view of something that I know is more evenly pronounced and palpable

It is the pulsating ground reverberating and rebounding up to the birth

Of my true self

This meadow draped in stillness is waiting patiently

Coated in enchantment

Dominated by waves of bending Spanish blue bells

Reserved solely for the purpose of today

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kaleidoscope of colors II

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