Peripheral Visions And Other Poetic Perceptions

by Bruce Newman

Just as you see things out of the corner of your eye with peripheral vision, you also see things out of the corner of you mind the same way, things you sense without words. These poems are the words for things often sensed peripherally. They are things you've often felt but perhaps didn't quite know how to say. Most of these poems were born out of contemplating some simple daily life reality, such as the poem "Selfies", which you can read in the sample. It's the first poem and a foretaste of what's inside.

187 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 25, 2015

About the author

Bruce Newman lives in North Carolina with his wife of 36 years, Jennifer. Peripheral Visions is his first published work. His main desire in writing is to write words the way Jimi Hendrix played guitar.

Reviews

[Austin Belanger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very relevant poetry

I first met Bruce Newman on Google+. We are both poets who participate in various poetry groups and forums. I immediately knew that he was a voice that I needed to hear.

Back on Google, his offerings would always spark my imagination and make me ponder different points of view concerning life and the futility of the commercial lifestyle lie.

This collection of poems will challenge the reader to see beyond the western facade of what is success, life and reality. In the end, Bruce tells us with his clarion warnings that we are more than what we have, and that life is more than the sum of things that you collect.

I totally and unequivocally recommend this short book of gems to anyone brave enough to think about life outside of "the American dream" our society wishes to sell you.

Great book.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.”
~Robert Frost


Poetry allows a reader to take a moment to stop, reflect, and focus on their true inner feelings. Writing poetry is often a challenge for many authors. To be successful they must possess the talent to transform his/her words into feelings that jump from the pages of their book straight into the hearts of the reader. PERIPHERAL VISIONS: AND OTHER POETIC PERCEPTIONS is a unique collection of poems that speaks to the intellectual mind. It has the power to call out to one’s inner spirit.

A vast array of topics is contained throughout this one book. I found it ingenious how the author was able to create subjects that dealt with several different situations that ingeniously revolved around different age groups. I found his words gave me an almost hypnotic feeling for they seemed to mesmerize my mind and take hold of my being. It was like I was experiencing a potpourri of different emotions all at the same time.

With a strong and defined voice Bruce Newman delivers some very thought provoking words that display an exceptional talented author. I was impressed with his free flowing style; it allowed me to open up my mind and think of subjects that I tend to take for granted. With each new poem that I read it allowed me to see the topics more clearly for it took me to a place I often tend to forget about due to life’s ever ending challenges.

There were several poems that I am convinced will stay with me long after I finished this book. I caught myself rereading them and then taking the time to apply their concept to my own life situation. Of all the poems that I read, my all-time favorite was WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE this one in particular spoke to me as penetrated deeply into my soul. I predict Bruce Newman will be a name that is about to make a huge impact into the poetry world. His work has the power to be a life changing experience. I feel privileged to have discovered such a wonderful author. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an out of the box experience that is assured to create a dramatic impact to how you see the world.

[Somali Chakrabarti · Rating 5 out of 5]

The contemporary poems in this book are a reflection of everyday life, human nature and the present times. Introspective and pointing towards mindfulness, some poems are laced with poetic satire, a few are pensive and some prod the reader to question the shallow ways or apathy of society.

The first poem Selfies, refers to the selfie craze as ‘ego infection’ that has inflicted all including the author himself. Shadow Riders questions false perceptions that cloud our understanding. In Stage Props, he talks about issues such as pollution of river waters, meaninglessness of political speeches. Mixed Drinks is a lyrical poem describing the effect memories have on us in context of time, place, music and feelings. It is one of my favorites. The other ones are Shells and Synergy.

While I feel that a few poems could have been a little more lyrical, I truly admire the sensitivity and expansive thought behind each poem.

Here’s a book that roots for adding a touch of devotion to the progressive mind that is needed to bring about emotional, spiritual and holistic development of personality and expansion of the inner bandwidth.