Dharma Talk: Poems

by John Brehm

A new volume of original poetry from the bestselling creator of Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy.In Dharma Talk, award-winning poet John Brehm explores the perennial themes of aging, compassion, emptiness, nonseparation, and more. At once poignant and humorous, Brehm’s gentle, wry poems remind us that the personal and the universal are not different—and point us to the Dharma of everyday life.

Genres: Poetry

75 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 26, 2023

Reviews

[Caleb Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew one could experience such a depth of sorrow, playfulness, peace, and compassion all in one little book. This is one I’ll be revisiting again and again. The Dudley Ball poem is especially striking to me.

[Rome Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the poems but found the collection a little light for the money. The book was saved, however, by these lines: "Thank God for novelists. / Old age would be / insupportable without them."

[Brian Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a poetry collection that will sparkle, but it subtly shines. The poems share the same spirit Zen points to - intimacy with the ordinary.

Some poems spoke more to my head, some more to my heart. Some led to laughter. Some to sadness. Some came over more like koans, some more like narrative, the poet sharing a story.

I much enjoyed! If you are looking for poems to speak more to your emotions, this is not the collection. If you enjoy poetry speaking of the profoundness of the commonplace, the everyday, I recommend this to you.

[Milie Fiirgaard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the storytelling. There were poems in here that made me think, that told nice stories and that had some interesting language usage. But there were also a few that didn't do much for me. So it's an average rating for me. Overall nice, but not, to me, overly fantastic.

[Bill Mayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

More John Brehm, please.

[John Fredrickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The poems in this collection are all nice and thoughtful - one or two of them made me audibly laugh. That said, the poems did not grab me as I would have hoped.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful poems. Brehm is amazing.

[Dillon Allen-Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of simple, easy-to-read poems finds the zen in everyday life. In romantic moments, frustrated moments, & boring, mundane moments, there are zen lessons to be found if we pay attention.