Darkness Before Dawn: A Memoir in Verse

by R.S. Oswald, Raevyn Oswald

The author's secular and Christian poems about subjects that are important to her, varying in style and subject matter.

Genres: Poetry

24 pages, ebook

Published June 23, 2017

Reviews

[❄Elsa Frost❄ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poetry is more down-to-earth compared to most poets I read from--and that's good. We all need some good down-to-earth, realistic poets. I dislike how some believe that poets have to use all metaphors when sometimes they can just be... I dunno. Direct.

I just want to share a couple of my favorite quotes from these sets of poems. This isn't so much a review as it is a reflection of some of the parts that will stick with me:

Finding Forgiveness

They lured me in with promises of beautiful somedays

(This is, by far, one of the best lines I have ever read in a poem).

Let Me Out

Endless, endless hallways.

Piano Soul

The human soul
Is something like
A piano.

Sing A Song of Home

I sing a song of ice and snow
As the white flecks gather, as they crystallize on the ground
And the wind blows cold,
But I'm inside, and I know that
I'm home.

And let's not forget "#trapped", "Treefort", and "Waiting". I won't spoil those for you readers. Those poems upped this rating from 3.5 stars to 4 stars.

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed reading Darkness Before Dawn. I loved the way the author opened up so freely to share her story, and I am sure that in doing so she is going to be a blessing to many others. I also enjoyed her poetry, her experimentation with different forms, her voice and her style. The reason I have only given the book three stars is because I feel that she is still learning her craft as a poet. However, given time I am certain her writing will mature and she will deservedly be receiving four and five stars for her writing from me. I will be on the lookout for more of her poems in the future.

[. · Rating 4 out of 5]

((3.5 Stars))
The poems were so beautiful, describing the author's life. I connected with a few of them and they certainly made me think about those subjects I never thought about often.
My favorite poems out of all (it was super difficult to choose between six of my favorites) Piano Soul and #trapped.
Piano Soul gave me a different perspective on pianos. Her description of how similar pianos and humans are was just touching!
#trapped describes our society and the overuse of phones today perfectly.
Totally get the book. It's free for download on Smashwords. :)

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading these poems. The writing style was good and I love how the author opened up so freely.

[Medomfo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful variations of poems all linked to create a story of someone's life.