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The Drum That Beats Within Us
The tradition of the poet warrior endures throughout human history, finding expression in the Bible's King David, the Vikings of Iceland, Japan's Samurai, the Shambhala teachings of Tibet, the ancient Greeks and medieval knights. Mike Bond, an award-winning poet, critically acclaimed novelist, ecologist, and war and human rights journalist, is in the same tradition.
Initially published by Lawrence Ferlinghetti in City Lights Books, Bond has won multiple prizes for his poetry and prose, and now brings the multitude of his diverse life to his remarkable new book of poetry. His poetry dances between reflections on the majesty of wilderness, the joys and sorrows of love, and passionate expressions of life's greatest existential questions. Prefacing the book is Bond's insightful essay on why poetry is an essential part of cognitive awareness, "how we find meaning in the incomprehensible, beautiful, tragic and sacred mystery of life."
Poetry, Bond notes, has existed since our Paleolithic days, found not just in humans but also in the songs of wolves and whales, and an imperative for everyone to enjoy. "Reading poems enlarges our personal awareness of life's exuberance, its terrible destiny," he says. "To learn in our own lives from the visions of others."
Initially published by Lawrence Ferlinghetti in City Lights Books, Bond has won multiple prizes for his poetry and prose, and now brings the multitude of his diverse life to his remarkable new book of poetry. His poetry dances between reflections on the majesty of wilderness, the joys and sorrows of love, and passionate expressions of life's greatest existential questions. Prefacing the book is Bond's insightful essay on why poetry is an essential part of cognitive awareness, "how we find meaning in the incomprehensible, beautiful, tragic and sacred mystery of life."
Poetry, Bond notes, has existed since our Paleolithic days, found not just in humans but also in the songs of wolves and whales, and an imperative for everyone to enjoy. "Reading poems enlarges our personal awareness of life's exuberance, its terrible destiny," he says. "To learn in our own lives from the visions of others."
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 20, 2018
631 people are currently reading
602 people want to read
About the author
Mike Bond
39 books446 followersMIKE BOND has been called the “master of the existential thriller” by the BBC and “one of the 21st century’s most exciting authors” by the Washington Times. He is a bestselling novelist, environmental activist, international energy expert, war and human rights correspondent and award-winning poet who has lived and worked in many remote and dangerous parts of the world. His critically acclaimed novels depict the innate hunger of the human heart for what is good, the intense joys of love, the terror and fury of battle, the sinister vagaries of international politics and multinational corporations, and the beauty of the vanishing natural world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
October 16, 2018
I was drawn to this poetry collection because the blurb points out that Mike Bond was first published by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, for whom I have tremendous admiration. As the beautiful cover already suggests, many of the poems deal with mankind's connection to the natural world, but also with the connection to their own inner worlds. I found many poems so-so, but two things really confused me:
- Bond draws heavily on Native American themes and imagery: The "Great Spirit" is mentioned four times, there are drums and buffalos, and there is even one poem that says "Name us all,/ hundreds of tribes/ thousands of clans;/ many millions of lives." So I googled away, and while Mike Bond's CV is flaunted on different websites and has all kinds of info ("Active in political efforts to control the U.S. national debt and related problems" - ?), I found no trace of him being Native. So as he apparently isn't (please correct me if I'm wrong here!), I'd like to argue that WASPs should work on their own poetry and not appropriate Native American culture.
- The book has a preface in which Bond rants about "the poetry professionals, umbilically tied to welfare stipends from politically correct universities and mindless foundations" - you can of course throw around such dismissive and arrogant statements, but you have to be able to back them up, and Bond's oeuvre does not stand a chance against the likes of Robin Robertson and Danez Smith. Poetry needs to be easy to decode, Bond argues, and poetry has never had it as good as right now because of the great rock bands who sing it. I find it funny to bring up such a (questionable) argument and then to omit poets like Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z - if there is poetry in contemporary music, you have to celebrate rap first and foremost.
More importantly, though: You don't tell me what poetry has to be, Bond! I want my poetry to be all kinds of things, unrestricted by rules, I want accessible and emotional poetry, I want complicated, puzzling poetry, I want political poetry, spiritual poetry, sung and spoken poetry, I want rap, I want poetry for the masses and for the niches, I want poetry in universities and in factories, I want it all, Bond, all of it!!
- Bond draws heavily on Native American themes and imagery: The "Great Spirit" is mentioned four times, there are drums and buffalos, and there is even one poem that says "Name us all,/ hundreds of tribes/ thousands of clans;/ many millions of lives." So I googled away, and while Mike Bond's CV is flaunted on different websites and has all kinds of info ("Active in political efforts to control the U.S. national debt and related problems" - ?), I found no trace of him being Native. So as he apparently isn't (please correct me if I'm wrong here!), I'd like to argue that WASPs should work on their own poetry and not appropriate Native American culture.
- The book has a preface in which Bond rants about "the poetry professionals, umbilically tied to welfare stipends from politically correct universities and mindless foundations" - you can of course throw around such dismissive and arrogant statements, but you have to be able to back them up, and Bond's oeuvre does not stand a chance against the likes of Robin Robertson and Danez Smith. Poetry needs to be easy to decode, Bond argues, and poetry has never had it as good as right now because of the great rock bands who sing it. I find it funny to bring up such a (questionable) argument and then to omit poets like Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z - if there is poetry in contemporary music, you have to celebrate rap first and foremost.
More importantly, though: You don't tell me what poetry has to be, Bond! I want my poetry to be all kinds of things, unrestricted by rules, I want accessible and emotional poetry, I want complicated, puzzling poetry, I want political poetry, spiritual poetry, sung and spoken poetry, I want rap, I want poetry for the masses and for the niches, I want poetry in universities and in factories, I want it all, Bond, all of it!!
January 10, 2019
"We're all sentenced to death." Very true words. Every person is dying every minute of every day. It's difficult to acknowledge this. I felt these words throughout the entire collection. It's the urgency to live and to live in harmony with, rather than exploit, the natural world. The Drum That Beats Within Us is beautiful and damning and uplifting all at once. I greatly enjoyed this collection from Mike Bond.
January 23, 2019
I was surprised to see a book of published poems by Mike Bond. I'm more familiar with his action-packed mystery novels. I've read and reread his poems. You can tell his passion is strong with the nature and animals.
I thoroughly enjoyed most of his poems and it was refreshing to see Mike write outside of his genre. I look forward to more of his works.
4 stars from me.
I received this ARC from Big City Press through Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review . Thank you!
I thoroughly enjoyed most of his poems and it was refreshing to see Mike write outside of his genre. I look forward to more of his works.
4 stars from me.
I received this ARC from Big City Press through Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review . Thank you!
September 16, 2022
The poetry in this book was all over the place for me. Some of it blew right through me without any meaning or feeling whatsoever. Other pieces grabbed me at the first word and held on to me tightly. Still others read by bland as toast, until one single phrase would pull me in and make me read the whole poem over again and see it fresh.
That's what poetry is supposed to be like, isn't it?
I received this book free from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
That's what poetry is supposed to be like, isn't it?
I received this book free from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
November 20, 2018
How we find meaning in the incomprehensible, beautiful, tragic and sacred mystery of life.
I don’t know how to feel about that. I don’t know how to write this review.
This is my impression: I managed to take all the emotions with my heart, without my intellect fully understanding them. Maybe it's better if I explain myself. I loved the images that the poems put in my mind, I liked the sound of phrases and words, rhymes and musicality, but I found myself often not understand how a certain poem entered the general discourse of the book.
“What poetry tells is a story that puts us right in it. In the center of it, the survival point.”
Some images of the wild nature and the relationship of humanity with nature are beautiful, evocative, powerful and enthralling. Poems with “love theme” are less exciting. I'm sorry. The introduction is very interesting, it explains how the mind of the poet moves, what makes him write. I always thought that poetry should be a musical discourse, and certainly the author of this book is very good at creating evocative sounds. Unfortunately I found some poems untied from the discourse on nature, which was the main topic I wanted.
These are the wine days
of October
when trees, threshed
of leaves, bow down
in prayer to winter,
when the sun, anguished
like an old hound,
leaves its bed
late, going early,
when the sap of life
is dried and frozen.
*I received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review *
I don’t know how to feel about that. I don’t know how to write this review.
This is my impression: I managed to take all the emotions with my heart, without my intellect fully understanding them. Maybe it's better if I explain myself. I loved the images that the poems put in my mind, I liked the sound of phrases and words, rhymes and musicality, but I found myself often not understand how a certain poem entered the general discourse of the book.
“What poetry tells is a story that puts us right in it. In the center of it, the survival point.”
Some images of the wild nature and the relationship of humanity with nature are beautiful, evocative, powerful and enthralling. Poems with “love theme” are less exciting. I'm sorry. The introduction is very interesting, it explains how the mind of the poet moves, what makes him write. I always thought that poetry should be a musical discourse, and certainly the author of this book is very good at creating evocative sounds. Unfortunately I found some poems untied from the discourse on nature, which was the main topic I wanted.
These are the wine days
of October
when trees, threshed
of leaves, bow down
in prayer to winter,
when the sun, anguished
like an old hound,
leaves its bed
late, going early,
when the sap of life
is dried and frozen.
*I received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review *
October 19, 2025
Around 2.5 ✨ more like. Unfortunately I did not resonate with most of the poems 🫣.
RTC next week.
RTC next week.
June 21, 2024
Man, I really wanted to love this, but apparently Mike Bond’s style and I don’t jive.
December 12, 2018
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.
The most tragic thing
humans do
is war,
our greatest joy
is life’s
creation.
The most evil
is to call one
the other
Badass bison cover? Check.
Earthy poetry context? Check.
Beautifully written prose? mostly...
A unified and wholesome experience? No.
With the popularity of poetry coming to the forefront of the secular reading world, there is a necessity to filter the good from the mediocre. I found this to be the latter. There were a few collected sentences that come across with an insight into rural world and human nature that bordered on profound. However, these were so muddled by just 'okay' poems that I found it hard to enjoy the book as a whole.
I would also compliment the author on his perspective and attempts at incorporating aspects of both technology and the natural world into one collection, but found critique in the drastic shift between the two. It created a reading experience that was jarring to the point of whiplash. I need some transition between skyscrapers, a broken heart and witnessing the passing of seasons.
All in all: some high points, but they should be taken in isolation from the unified presentation.
2/5 stars.
The most tragic thing
humans do
is war,
our greatest joy
is life’s
creation.
The most evil
is to call one
the other
Badass bison cover? Check.
Earthy poetry context? Check.
Beautifully written prose? mostly...
A unified and wholesome experience? No.
With the popularity of poetry coming to the forefront of the secular reading world, there is a necessity to filter the good from the mediocre. I found this to be the latter. There were a few collected sentences that come across with an insight into rural world and human nature that bordered on profound. However, these were so muddled by just 'okay' poems that I found it hard to enjoy the book as a whole.
I would also compliment the author on his perspective and attempts at incorporating aspects of both technology and the natural world into one collection, but found critique in the drastic shift between the two. It created a reading experience that was jarring to the point of whiplash. I need some transition between skyscrapers, a broken heart and witnessing the passing of seasons.
All in all: some high points, but they should be taken in isolation from the unified presentation.
2/5 stars.
February 5, 2019
"We are still Adam
in his velvet cage,
Eve still hungry for an answer.
To understand the atom
you must build a bomb;
to understand life
you must destroy it."
Title: The Drum That Beats Within Us
Original Rating: Four Stars
Genre: Poetry
Author: Mike Bond
I received a free copy in exchange of an honest review. This review is in no way influenced by the ARC.
A fabulous read by Mike Bond which was a poetic roller coaster ride in itself. The poet is effective in making us see things from his perspective and at times, seriously make us question certain stereotypes and believes that we live with.
Prefacing the book is Bond's insightful essay on why poetry is an essential part of cognitive awareness, "how we find meaning in the incomprehensible, beautiful, tragic and sacred mystery of life."
His poetry dances between reflections on the majesty of wilderness, the joys and sorrows of love, and passionate expressions of life's greatest existential questions.
It's a book I'd suggest to all poetry lovers out there..
P. S. You can find my review on https://mohinijugran.blogspot.com/201...
in his velvet cage,
Eve still hungry for an answer.
To understand the atom
you must build a bomb;
to understand life
you must destroy it."
Title: The Drum That Beats Within Us
Original Rating: Four Stars
Genre: Poetry
Author: Mike Bond
I received a free copy in exchange of an honest review. This review is in no way influenced by the ARC.
A fabulous read by Mike Bond which was a poetic roller coaster ride in itself. The poet is effective in making us see things from his perspective and at times, seriously make us question certain stereotypes and believes that we live with.
Prefacing the book is Bond's insightful essay on why poetry is an essential part of cognitive awareness, "how we find meaning in the incomprehensible, beautiful, tragic and sacred mystery of life."
His poetry dances between reflections on the majesty of wilderness, the joys and sorrows of love, and passionate expressions of life's greatest existential questions.
It's a book I'd suggest to all poetry lovers out there..
P. S. You can find my review on https://mohinijugran.blogspot.com/201...
January 23, 2019
As long as I can remember I’ve loved poetry. I grew up devouring Rod McKuen, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and in more recent years Mary Oliver and Billy Collins. When I saw The Drum That Beats Within Us and read about the poet, I was intrigued and was fortunate to receive an advance copy to read.
This is such a beautiful book of poetry. I started reading it slow to savor just a few poems a day until I felt the need to read more and more and finish, unwillingly. I’m looking forward to purchasing a physical copy of this book and will treasure it as I do so many of my other favorite poetry volumes.
The language is beautiful, heartbreaking, romantic, sad, savvy, and nostalgic all at once. From longer poems to very short, thought provoking poems, the lines of each take the reader to a world the poet has experienced or given much thought to. Truly beautiful, I look forward to exploring more work by Mr. Bond.
This is such a beautiful book of poetry. I started reading it slow to savor just a few poems a day until I felt the need to read more and more and finish, unwillingly. I’m looking forward to purchasing a physical copy of this book and will treasure it as I do so many of my other favorite poetry volumes.
The language is beautiful, heartbreaking, romantic, sad, savvy, and nostalgic all at once. From longer poems to very short, thought provoking poems, the lines of each take the reader to a world the poet has experienced or given much thought to. Truly beautiful, I look forward to exploring more work by Mr. Bond.
January 2, 2019
Very good reads. This is an anthology of poetry covering different topics. Highly recommend it.
March 30, 2021
Overall, this was an interesting collection of poems. The author plays with some interesting images and stylistic choices, and combines both rhyming poetry and free verse. Unfortunately, while I think it's worth a look for poetry lovers, I didn't love it-- partly because I didn't particularly enjoy most of his themes, and partly because some of the more intriguing poems kind of fell apart the more I thought about them. (I will be the first to admit that this might just be a personal thing and I simply didn't get them. Poetry can be a very subjective and personal art form, after all).
Mostly, I would classify his themes as being existential musings on the impersonal nature of one's existence in the face of the evolutionary scope of life and the inevitable result in death, along with outrage against what has been done to nature and to native peoples. There are also a few bittersweet love poems in the mix.
Stylistically, I would say that his sonnets and free verse are quite good, but his other rhyming poems tend to get bogged down with doggerel (think of the worst of Longfellow or Tennyson, for example). He's a bit defensive about this in his introduction, but there's a reason why modern poets tend to stay away from such sing-songy rhyming verse. Yeah, it's a great mnemonic device if you are trying to memorize it, and it CAN be quite good, but usually it's...not good.
Even some of his best poems were a bit odd to me. "Golden Gate Bridge," for example, is a very well executed sonnet, but I thought it romanticized suicide. "Crow" was one of my favorites, contrasting the easy flight of a crow overhead with the sterile human landscape below, but the final lines seemed like cheap anthropomorphism to me:
"Does he hate
or only scorn us?
Or is he simply waiting
for us to die?"
No, I'm sorry, that's not what crows think. That's not even what people think they think. That's maybe what the poet thinks?
Some of my favorite poems were the shorter/simpler ones, such as "Rumi" and "Great Spirit." These were clever and made me think.
And as I mentioned, there are a lot of interesting images and metaphors in this slim collection. It's definitely worth a read for poetry buffs.
My final comment is a more serious quibble. In many of these poems, he not only deals with themes of Native Americans, but explicitly takes on a native POV for the duration of the poem. I actually went to the author bio to check if he is Native American or has any such ancestry. If so, it's not mentioned in the bio. Which felt a bit awkward and problematic for me.
What to say? So many mixed feelings for this collection! If you feel at all curious, I'd definitely suggest that you check it out for yourself.
Mostly, I would classify his themes as being existential musings on the impersonal nature of one's existence in the face of the evolutionary scope of life and the inevitable result in death, along with outrage against what has been done to nature and to native peoples. There are also a few bittersweet love poems in the mix.
Stylistically, I would say that his sonnets and free verse are quite good, but his other rhyming poems tend to get bogged down with doggerel (think of the worst of Longfellow or Tennyson, for example). He's a bit defensive about this in his introduction, but there's a reason why modern poets tend to stay away from such sing-songy rhyming verse. Yeah, it's a great mnemonic device if you are trying to memorize it, and it CAN be quite good, but usually it's...not good.
Even some of his best poems were a bit odd to me. "Golden Gate Bridge," for example, is a very well executed sonnet, but I thought it romanticized suicide. "Crow" was one of my favorites, contrasting the easy flight of a crow overhead with the sterile human landscape below, but the final lines seemed like cheap anthropomorphism to me:
"Does he hate
or only scorn us?
Or is he simply waiting
for us to die?"
No, I'm sorry, that's not what crows think. That's not even what people think they think. That's maybe what the poet thinks?
Some of my favorite poems were the shorter/simpler ones, such as "Rumi" and "Great Spirit." These were clever and made me think.
And as I mentioned, there are a lot of interesting images and metaphors in this slim collection. It's definitely worth a read for poetry buffs.
My final comment is a more serious quibble. In many of these poems, he not only deals with themes of Native Americans, but explicitly takes on a native POV for the duration of the poem. I actually went to the author bio to check if he is Native American or has any such ancestry. If so, it's not mentioned in the bio. Which felt a bit awkward and problematic for me.
What to say? So many mixed feelings for this collection! If you feel at all curious, I'd definitely suggest that you check it out for yourself.
December 7, 2018
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for my honest review.
This poetry book reads like a love letter to the wild and scary parts of humans that are still connected with the land. The beating, thumping, heart pounding part of us that wants to scurry through the underbrush or fly through the trees. Human beings have become disconnected from that animal parts of ourselves. Mike Bond, among many things, is a tireless environmentalist and for one beautiful hour, as your pour yourself over the pages, you can let the wild drums out and feel a connection.
It isn't a perfect book, the poetry was flat at points and the preface was a little jarring. I understand that Bond has earned his political and environmental stripes but I don't need that in the forefront of my mind while trying to absorb poetry. Also, I know some readers are going to point out that there are Native American Iconography in a few of these poems. Bond, to my understanding, is not native and some people would point out that this is cultural appropriation. I am not sure. The poems come off to me as an homage to a Native culture, a culture that treats the environment with reference, rather than a way to score some poem points. That is a subjective point for the reader an maybe something to be sensitive to.
I think that this is a worthy attempt at writing down a human feeling that almost seems unwritable. That throbbing connection to the land that humans seem to be getting further away from. Read it, see how you feel. I know it sparked a slow and steady boom --- boom inside me, if only for a moment.
This poetry book reads like a love letter to the wild and scary parts of humans that are still connected with the land. The beating, thumping, heart pounding part of us that wants to scurry through the underbrush or fly through the trees. Human beings have become disconnected from that animal parts of ourselves. Mike Bond, among many things, is a tireless environmentalist and for one beautiful hour, as your pour yourself over the pages, you can let the wild drums out and feel a connection.
It isn't a perfect book, the poetry was flat at points and the preface was a little jarring. I understand that Bond has earned his political and environmental stripes but I don't need that in the forefront of my mind while trying to absorb poetry. Also, I know some readers are going to point out that there are Native American Iconography in a few of these poems. Bond, to my understanding, is not native and some people would point out that this is cultural appropriation. I am not sure. The poems come off to me as an homage to a Native culture, a culture that treats the environment with reference, rather than a way to score some poem points. That is a subjective point for the reader an maybe something to be sensitive to.
I think that this is a worthy attempt at writing down a human feeling that almost seems unwritable. That throbbing connection to the land that humans seem to be getting further away from. Read it, see how you feel. I know it sparked a slow and steady boom --- boom inside me, if only for a moment.
December 30, 2018
Poetry is difficult to review as it is such a subjective art. I pick up a poetry book hoping to find a few poems which 'talk to me'. I’m happy if a book has one or two like that. This book by Mike Bond has several and I rate it a success for me on that basis. Some of the language is beautiful, some is profound, and some I don’t get. But that’s just fine. Here are some examples -
"These words are nothing against a sky so vast no thought can harm it."
"The mind grows wise watching itself."
"It’s always the time it is even when you sneak up on it even when you forget or try to live without it."
Stunning language and imagery and I’ll be looking out for more from this poet. I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
"These words are nothing against a sky so vast no thought can harm it."
"The mind grows wise watching itself."
"It’s always the time it is even when you sneak up on it even when you forget or try to live without it."
Stunning language and imagery and I’ll be looking out for more from this poet. I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
December 5, 2018
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
My first word of advice when picking up this book? Do not skip the Preface. The author has absolutely delightful insight into the nature of poetry and I honestly laughed when I read the word literati (side note: I know it’s a real word but I cannot help but associate it with illuminati).
The poetry itself instilled a soft delight in me as I read. It is filled with rich imagery and longing. I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this collection, as poetry collections I’ve gotten from Netgalley have been rather hit or miss with me.
I would definitely recommend picking this book up.
My first word of advice when picking up this book? Do not skip the Preface. The author has absolutely delightful insight into the nature of poetry and I honestly laughed when I read the word literati (side note: I know it’s a real word but I cannot help but associate it with illuminati).
The poetry itself instilled a soft delight in me as I read. It is filled with rich imagery and longing. I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this collection, as poetry collections I’ve gotten from Netgalley have been rather hit or miss with me.
I would definitely recommend picking this book up.
October 14, 2018
A book of poetry, some free verse, some formal, that evokes the American West, its openness, wildness, and its sense of desolation. Contemplating the universe and man's place in it, along with the continuing destruction of the natural world, I found this an enormously satisfying experience. Recommended.
[I received an advanced e-galley of this book through Netgalley.]
[I received an advanced e-galley of this book through Netgalley.]
December 4, 2018
I may have had high expectations from this collection, but it was a little lost in the quiet wild.
Seeing City Light Books opened my eyes and I quickly jumped in, the cover shows the grazing buffalo and I thought somewhere in this collection I’d hear the drum beat. A few poems listed I enjoyed
-Hungry Magpie
-Evening March
-The Mind Sees Itself
-Jicarilla
Seeing City Light Books opened my eyes and I quickly jumped in, the cover shows the grazing buffalo and I thought somewhere in this collection I’d hear the drum beat. A few poems listed I enjoyed
-Hungry Magpie
-Evening March
-The Mind Sees Itself
-Jicarilla
December 7, 2018
I enjoyed this book of poetry. I especially liked the preface about what poetry is and can mean. I liked best the poems about love and death and the meaning of life. I will be going back to reread the lines that struck me.
May 9, 2019
"Returning, we find
the past has lost
the present.
It stands alone,
discreet within us,
no longer true".
-Homecoming by Mike Bond
I usually read classic poetry but do like to delve into modern poetry as well. I was drawn to this collection by the cover and the beautiful title and as such it does not disappoint. Nature, and our role in it and with each other seems to be the central thread that connects the poems collected here. There are poems of love, death, nature's destruction, and life, as seen through the eyes of animals as well as a question for humanity: why are we here? What is our purpose? What responsibility do we and should we have toward nature? As with all poetry, I connected with some more than others. The poetry is sometimes raw, painful, exquisite but there is always the sense that it was written from the heart.
the past has lost
the present.
It stands alone,
discreet within us,
no longer true".
-Homecoming by Mike Bond
I usually read classic poetry but do like to delve into modern poetry as well. I was drawn to this collection by the cover and the beautiful title and as such it does not disappoint. Nature, and our role in it and with each other seems to be the central thread that connects the poems collected here. There are poems of love, death, nature's destruction, and life, as seen through the eyes of animals as well as a question for humanity: why are we here? What is our purpose? What responsibility do we and should we have toward nature? As with all poetry, I connected with some more than others. The poetry is sometimes raw, painful, exquisite but there is always the sense that it was written from the heart.
February 4, 2019
This poetry collection is just as the title and cover suggest very focused on nature, death and life alike.
And I had my fun with it. While I cannot say I connected with any poems (except for Hungry Magpie and Paradise Ducks), they were still well-written and thought out. There are thought-provoking statements and opinions; it talks about environmental change, Native Americans and our impact on wildlife.
I also truly enjoyed the writing. Some poems actually rhyme which is, first of all, very nice to read (reading them aloud especially) and gives them a nice rhythm that other modern works miss. In general, every poem has a nice flow to it, and the breaks actually add to the story.
And the titles are all at the start which, again, I think adds to the story.
And I had my fun with it. While I cannot say I connected with any poems (except for Hungry Magpie and Paradise Ducks), they were still well-written and thought out. There are thought-provoking statements and opinions; it talks about environmental change, Native Americans and our impact on wildlife.
I also truly enjoyed the writing. Some poems actually rhyme which is, first of all, very nice to read (reading them aloud especially) and gives them a nice rhythm that other modern works miss. In general, every poem has a nice flow to it, and the breaks actually add to the story.
And the titles are all at the start which, again, I think adds to the story.
November 18, 2019
I am more a lover of prose than poetry. The words evoked pictures in my mind and feelings about the world and its cruelty as well as its reasons for hope. This isn't really "my cup of tea" but that doesn't make it bad. It's just not something that makes me want to search out and read more by this poet.
I requested and voluntarily read a review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley and I offer my honest opinion in response.
I requested and voluntarily read a review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley and I offer my honest opinion in response.
January 3, 2019
I read this book in as an advance readers copy via NetGalley.
I found the introduction insulting, and the poems ranged from 2-star to 4-star. Sometimes the imagery ran to fantastic places, and I paused and thought about what I'd read (e.g. "colors wait like lizards to pounce upon the air."). At other times, the rhythm and rhyme ran a little too close to greeting card chic for my taste.
I found the introduction insulting, and the poems ranged from 2-star to 4-star. Sometimes the imagery ran to fantastic places, and I paused and thought about what I'd read (e.g. "colors wait like lizards to pounce upon the air."). At other times, the rhythm and rhyme ran a little too close to greeting card chic for my taste.
June 18, 2020
Not so awful that it sounds like teenage angst, but still doesn't have much oomph.
I do wonder why Mike Bond, who doesn't seem to have any Native heritage, writes in his poem Children Scalped, that we should "Name us all." Is he including himself in the "us"? Or is he putting words into the mouths of others?
I do wonder why Mike Bond, who doesn't seem to have any Native heritage, writes in his poem Children Scalped, that we should "Name us all." Is he including himself in the "us"? Or is he putting words into the mouths of others?
February 5, 2025
1.5/5
What did I expect from an author who included a preface complaining that poetry is too hard to understand these days. I can't imagine complaining about poetry being "difficult" and then writing the most bland, basic, watered down, meandering garbage imaginable. I try not to be outright mean in my reviews, but I have to call an idiot an idiot.
What did I expect from an author who included a preface complaining that poetry is too hard to understand these days. I can't imagine complaining about poetry being "difficult" and then writing the most bland, basic, watered down, meandering garbage imaginable. I try not to be outright mean in my reviews, but I have to call an idiot an idiot.
February 20, 2019
Tying it all together.
From the flitting of the butterfly’s wing to the infinities of a starlit night. From the depths of the human heart’s yearning to the spiraling thoughts of the mind driven to understand the why. These reflections on the circle of Life and Death in Nature and the Human Heart bring you up short in the passage of your daily life. Worth reading and rereading.
From the flitting of the butterfly’s wing to the infinities of a starlit night. From the depths of the human heart’s yearning to the spiraling thoughts of the mind driven to understand the why. These reflections on the circle of Life and Death in Nature and the Human Heart bring you up short in the passage of your daily life. Worth reading and rereading.
August 6, 2019
Mike Bond speaks with a strong expressive voice and his best work is permeated with a profound sense of place.
January 2, 2019
Mike Bond’s eco-critical poetry collection The Drum that Beats Within Us is a collection of poetry that asks us to look at our environment through the eyes of animals and also asks us to take a close look at our relationship with nature and the city. Furthermore, Bond critiques the state of poetic production and study by challenging the academic ivory tower that complicates and miscommunicates the poetry today.
In the opening of his collection, Bond challenges that poetry is no longer read by the masses. This is something that also resonates with me as a reader and lover poetry. In recent times, contemporary poets like Rupi Kaur and Amanda Lovelace have had a moment in the spotlight, however, in general poetry goes unread, according to Bond, because of poetry professionals “contempt for the wisdom of their audience.” Bond goes further to state that poetry’s “meanings become indecipherable” due to their over analysis in academia. But poetry, as Bond rightfully points out “is a window into ourselves, standing before a mirror to see who we are.” And this is what his latest collection of poetry tries to be.
In many ways, Bonds poetry is a combination of the city and natural pastoral with many poems talking about our connection or lack there of with the land. It is both an exploration of self and nature that critiques and celebrates the ways in which we interact with nature. Poems like “Hungry Magpie” hint at climate change destruction whilst others, like “Every Where” and “Harbour”, question life and existence.
“Crow” is a poem that paints a picture of our world through the eyes of a bird. The crow observes
“the battered earth,
houses sterile
as stones.”
Many of Bonds poems as for a re-connection with ourselves, other humans, and the nature around us.
“The most evil
is to call one
the other.”
(from “Most Evil Thing”)
In this poem, Bond asks for us to be kinder to one another and playing on the idea that no one should be considered and outsider, or other. Similarly, in his poem “To the Poets Among Us” Bond asks that we watch the animals and “respect the grace with which/ they execute their knowledge.”
Bond’s poetry is easy and pleasurable to read. His poetic style oscillates between free form and more rhythmic traditional rhyming styles. I also wondered, on a bit of a side note, if his poem “Where the Flea Once Bit” was a small homage to the famous poet John Donne’s work, “The Flea”. To summarise this poetry collection I would say that Bond asks us to look at the poetry that is all around us and the poetry that has been with us since the dawn of time. His poems are comforting, challenging, and thought provoking.
Welcome to 2019 and the first of many more reviews. Who is your favourite poet? Or more importantly, what poetry books do you have on your to-read-list? As always, share the reading love.
NOTE: this collection of poetry was sent to me through Netgalley thanks to Big City Press for review purposes.
In the opening of his collection, Bond challenges that poetry is no longer read by the masses. This is something that also resonates with me as a reader and lover poetry. In recent times, contemporary poets like Rupi Kaur and Amanda Lovelace have had a moment in the spotlight, however, in general poetry goes unread, according to Bond, because of poetry professionals “contempt for the wisdom of their audience.” Bond goes further to state that poetry’s “meanings become indecipherable” due to their over analysis in academia. But poetry, as Bond rightfully points out “is a window into ourselves, standing before a mirror to see who we are.” And this is what his latest collection of poetry tries to be.
In many ways, Bonds poetry is a combination of the city and natural pastoral with many poems talking about our connection or lack there of with the land. It is both an exploration of self and nature that critiques and celebrates the ways in which we interact with nature. Poems like “Hungry Magpie” hint at climate change destruction whilst others, like “Every Where” and “Harbour”, question life and existence.
“Crow” is a poem that paints a picture of our world through the eyes of a bird. The crow observes
“the battered earth,
houses sterile
as stones.”
Many of Bonds poems as for a re-connection with ourselves, other humans, and the nature around us.
“The most evil
is to call one
the other.”
(from “Most Evil Thing”)
In this poem, Bond asks for us to be kinder to one another and playing on the idea that no one should be considered and outsider, or other. Similarly, in his poem “To the Poets Among Us” Bond asks that we watch the animals and “respect the grace with which/ they execute their knowledge.”
Bond’s poetry is easy and pleasurable to read. His poetic style oscillates between free form and more rhythmic traditional rhyming styles. I also wondered, on a bit of a side note, if his poem “Where the Flea Once Bit” was a small homage to the famous poet John Donne’s work, “The Flea”. To summarise this poetry collection I would say that Bond asks us to look at the poetry that is all around us and the poetry that has been with us since the dawn of time. His poems are comforting, challenging, and thought provoking.
Welcome to 2019 and the first of many more reviews. Who is your favourite poet? Or more importantly, what poetry books do you have on your to-read-list? As always, share the reading love.
NOTE: this collection of poetry was sent to me through Netgalley thanks to Big City Press for review purposes.
January 22, 2019
“It takes pain to know it: the thin man’s grimace of sorrow, the fat woman yelling at her daughter, the dog with a broken leg on the roadside, the trapped mouse and poisoned rat, the sparrow in a cat’s claws, the climber in the instant of his fall, the hungry child with no mother or father, the girl kneeling, a soldier’s pistol at her head.“
Thought provoking! Beautifully written.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and enjoy fora fairview.
Thought provoking! Beautifully written.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and enjoy fora fairview.
December 2, 2018
I enjoyed this book of poetry and the writer’s perspective on nature, life, death, and love. The prose is simple but evocative. I found the nature imagery particularly beautiful and enjoyed how the wild, natural world was used to reflect broader life. The overwhelming feeling I got from this collection was a yearning for a quieter, simpler time, being one with nature. Aside from the poems, I was very drawn in by the introduction to this collection and the author’s discussion of poetry. I’m not sure how well it fit with the tone of the poetry and therefore it felt like a strange choice of introduction, but I found it fascinating as a stand-alone essay. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 25, 2023
Poetry is new to me. I have a handful of poetry books that I will pick up every once in awhile, read a few and put it back. I would like to learn how to read them with more intention and reflect on them.
The poems in The Drum That Beats Within Us was perfect for that. The words brought physical and emotional feelings for me. Some of them I wanted to paste on my wall as a reminder and share with a friend.
These are beautiful poems and I appreciate that they weave in both familiar and unfamiliar objects and places. Sometimes poetry is too abstract and I find myself asking, what did I just read?
Understanding that is the point sometimes, this one was balanced with simplicity while leaving room for my imagination. I will definitely be returning to this one often and recommend to others.
The poems in The Drum That Beats Within Us was perfect for that. The words brought physical and emotional feelings for me. Some of them I wanted to paste on my wall as a reminder and share with a friend.
These are beautiful poems and I appreciate that they weave in both familiar and unfamiliar objects and places. Sometimes poetry is too abstract and I find myself asking, what did I just read?
Understanding that is the point sometimes, this one was balanced with simplicity while leaving room for my imagination. I will definitely be returning to this one often and recommend to others.
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