In 2019, Elyse Hart posted on Instagram that they would write a poem based on photos uploaded to the social media platform. As Elyse began writing for a few people they knew, word spread, and more people asked the writer to create a poem based on their photos. Poems for Squares: 29 Instagram Accounts in Verse features 29 submissions. 

Each poem in this book focuses on four photos. Think of them as visual guides if interpreting poetry is not your forte. Whether you are or are not proficient in the ebb and flow of poetry, I think all readers will enjoy the vast display of photographs. It allowed us a peek inside twenty-nine lives, each vastly different from the one before. 

In the file I received, the collections of photos were after the poem. I would've liked to have them before, so I have the reference points as I begin the verses. But, the placement of the images didn't diminish my views of the author's writings. They did a remarkable job weaving the four images into a singular poem. 

"In Effie's Eyes (for Lauren Bruniges)" made me chuckle because the author included lines that a poetry novice can understand, and I like sentence enhancers: curse words. The poem definitely highlighted the photos attached. The white cat in the collage was beautiful; I loved their two different eye colors. 

Elyse Hart hit the mark when they wrote "Happy Birthday Rocket (for Shivika)." I could pinpoint every image in the verses. However, "Popsicle Is Driven to Drink (for Hillary and Popsicle)" was a bit more difficult for me to locate which line referred to which photo. I did adore the kitty collection, though! 

If you're a musician, check out "Make Sweet Sally Sing (for Alexander Potts)." Elyse Hart beautifully describes the process of creating music—how you and your instrument become one.  

When I reached "Give Me a Snail Funeral (for Lori Worley), the final poem in the book, I was curious about what group of photos sparked such a unique and odd title. Then, I saw them. I'm not sure how you did it, but Elyse Hart once again managed to take elements from four photos and weave them into a poem that works and works well. 

This collection was beautifully composed and fashioned around Instagram photos. Including the public, utilizing social media in this manner was brilliant. 

If you like poetry, you'll love every poem in Poems for Squares: 29 Instagram Accounts in Verse.

If you love looking at photographs (on or off Instagram), you'll want to pick up a copy. 

This book has no age limit. Everyone can appreciate some elements from the book!