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Beginnings: Selected Verse
Justice. Equality. Join Benbo Smith as he takes a stand for what’s right.
Poetry can be a platform for social change. With his distinct voice, poet Benbo Smith tackles unjust societal structures in a series of allegories on politics, economics, discrimination, and other ailments of the modern era.
Using the special art form of prose poetry, Smith's distinct voice can carry you to deeper thinking through his latest collection of 12 poems.
In his stand against the evils of the past and present, Smith’s message is clear: the world will only succeed if all peoples are regarded equal.
Beginnings: Selected Verse sets up Smith as a poet to watch in the coming decade. If you like provocative commentary, insightful allegory, and a strong voice, then you’ll love Benbo Smith’s latest collection.
Buy Beginnings to join the movement today!
Publisher: Splashlime ISBN: 9781526201805
35 pages, ebook
Published March 27, 2016
1 person want to read
About the author
Benbo Smith
2 books2 followersBenbo Smith was born in the early 1970s on the south bank of the river Thames in London. After graduating from the University of Hull in the North of England, Smith spent time living and working in Canada and the United States before returning to London. He has now settled in Buckhurst Hill, on the outskirts of London.
Benbo has a passion for live performances of both theatre and opera. He is a friend of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and attends rehearsals and productions monthly. Many of his inspirations come from the scores and libretti of Verdi, Wagner, Puccini and Rossini.
His other great passion, other than writing, is Photography. He has exhibited a number of times. His work focuses on the Cityscape of London and the dramatic Highlands of Scotland.
He is currently working on a collection of sonnets, inspired by the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, and his first thriller set in London.
Benbo has a passion for live performances of both theatre and opera. He is a friend of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and attends rehearsals and productions monthly. Many of his inspirations come from the scores and libretti of Verdi, Wagner, Puccini and Rossini.
His other great passion, other than writing, is Photography. He has exhibited a number of times. His work focuses on the Cityscape of London and the dramatic Highlands of Scotland.
He is currently working on a collection of sonnets, inspired by the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, and his first thriller set in London.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 7, 2016
Poetry is a form of expression that not only moves in fashions, but has the uncanny ability to affect the human experience in such a unique way that no other art form can even begin to approach. This collection of poetry from Benbo Smith is no exception to this.
There is a studied precision with which Smith wields his pen, choosing to utilise elegant phrasing that doesn’t waste words and isn’t overburdened by flowery imagery. Each word is fit to purpose and compliments the theme of each poem.
One element of this collected works that worked exceptionally well it the use of footnotes by Smith. Though he has carefully chosen his words, he does not expect all of his audience will have ever come across some of the more regional dialects that he has drawn from and so provides explanation or definition of these words, including the dialect they are taken from.
This volume is so filled with wonderful words that it is impossible to sit and simply read through each poem and put the book down after half an hour. Each poem deserves the attention of reading at least once with ample time allowed to digest before reading a second time.
The works contained within Beginnings are refreshing look at the world that we as humans inhabit and the emotional experience of different aspects of life. Tired Life Retired is one poem that is particularly poignant. It not only speaks to those who have passed through life and reached a point where they have become tired of life, but also to those who are much younger and now live in a perpetual state of exhaustion with no end in sight. It reaches those feelings that are formed from stress and pressures of time and feeling so worn down that the magic of life has seeped away.
This is a wonderful collection of poems that is sure to delight poetry readers and even create some new converts to the art form.
There is a studied precision with which Smith wields his pen, choosing to utilise elegant phrasing that doesn’t waste words and isn’t overburdened by flowery imagery. Each word is fit to purpose and compliments the theme of each poem.
One element of this collected works that worked exceptionally well it the use of footnotes by Smith. Though he has carefully chosen his words, he does not expect all of his audience will have ever come across some of the more regional dialects that he has drawn from and so provides explanation or definition of these words, including the dialect they are taken from.
This volume is so filled with wonderful words that it is impossible to sit and simply read through each poem and put the book down after half an hour. Each poem deserves the attention of reading at least once with ample time allowed to digest before reading a second time.
The works contained within Beginnings are refreshing look at the world that we as humans inhabit and the emotional experience of different aspects of life. Tired Life Retired is one poem that is particularly poignant. It not only speaks to those who have passed through life and reached a point where they have become tired of life, but also to those who are much younger and now live in a perpetual state of exhaustion with no end in sight. It reaches those feelings that are formed from stress and pressures of time and feeling so worn down that the magic of life has seeped away.
This is a wonderful collection of poems that is sure to delight poetry readers and even create some new converts to the art form.
January 2, 2018
I’ve always been interested in poetry; however, a collection of poems has never affected me as much as Beginnings did. Smith’s poetry doesn’t sugar-coat the way the world works, his words are gritty, honest and incredibly powerful. Throughout the verses, Smith shares political, social and economic views that inspire thought and discussion.
The precision and careful choice of wording showcases Smith’s incredible talent and each poem is delivered to the reader with a powerful punch. I particularly liked that Smith’s poetry doesn’t follow any specific format and can at times be quite jarring to read. This added an interesting dimension when reading and felt in keeping with the topic of conversation. Whilst Smith uses German, Scottish and other regional dialect throughout his poetry, he doesn’t assume that readers will understand and his addition of footnotes was particularly helpful when reading.
Whilst I’m sure a lot of the references will have gone over my head due to my lack of knowledge and/or intellect, I really enjoyed reading this poetry collection and would highly recommend it to everybody, whether you’re interested in poetry or not – Beginnings will give you plenty of food for thought and Benbo Smith is definitely somebody to watch.
The precision and careful choice of wording showcases Smith’s incredible talent and each poem is delivered to the reader with a powerful punch. I particularly liked that Smith’s poetry doesn’t follow any specific format and can at times be quite jarring to read. This added an interesting dimension when reading and felt in keeping with the topic of conversation. Whilst Smith uses German, Scottish and other regional dialect throughout his poetry, he doesn’t assume that readers will understand and his addition of footnotes was particularly helpful when reading.
Whilst I’m sure a lot of the references will have gone over my head due to my lack of knowledge and/or intellect, I really enjoyed reading this poetry collection and would highly recommend it to everybody, whether you’re interested in poetry or not – Beginnings will give you plenty of food for thought and Benbo Smith is definitely somebody to watch.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews