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101 Poems
A fine collection of one hundred and one poems compiled by Gordon S. McCulloch covering a wide range of topics such as love, romance, relationships, religion, prayers, the meaning of life, death and our relationship with God. Some have been written in a manner that will provoke your innermost emotions, while others dig into the amusing side of life. All have been composed under the auspices of the Muse.
- GenresPoetry
128 pages, Paperback
First published March 24, 2021
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392 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
May 17, 2021
Well...if this isn't the cutest thing I've stumbled across in a long time.
Also, omg. There's an Update to the story! This book is now a #1 Best Seller on Amazon!!
101 Poems is even more popular than reigning champs in the Poetry & Anthology section - Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, Emily Dickinson are all taking a back seat compared to Mr. Gorden S. McCulloch's first book!
My heart cup is full up.
The Written Review
So...I suppose I should circle back and actually talk a bit about the content of the book.
For the record, I'm not a poetry person. I just never have been inclined to read much of it and when I did try...never could hold my attention.
BUT this book is one big exception.
The topics of the poems and the way McCulloch writes just completely and utterly grabbed my attention from the start.
He covers love, loss, devotion, humor and more. The little poems were like snippets into what was like for him to grow up, to see his family grow and live life after loss.
It truly was a wonderful experience, and I cannot recommend this book more!
April 26, 2021
I read this one in one sitting! There were so many different poems - some serious, some funny, some sweet, but my favorites were Homecoming, Puppy Love, Guardian Angel, Little Leaf, and Memories. I can’t wait to revisit this one!
I’m so glad I saw Mr. McCulloch’s granddaughter’s tweet about this book!
I’m so glad I saw Mr. McCulloch’s granddaughter’s tweet about this book!
April 25, 2021
I loved these poems, they were heartfelt and meaningful. Mr Gordon has lived a long life and you can picture his story though his poems.
February 18, 2022
I couldn't not give this book 5 stars, a 96 year old publishing his life's work AND doing the cover art??
You go, Gordon McCulloch.
You go, Gordon McCulloch.
May 9, 2021
I heard of this collection of poems from an Instagram post where the poet's granddaughter shared how her 96 year old grandfather had published 101 of his poems. I picked up a copy and am so thankful I did. What a delightful collection of poems from a man who has see the world change significantly in his lifetime. I don't typically care for poetry but this small book is the exception. Thank you for sharing, Mr. McCulloch
December 5, 2023
I’m so sorry to this man but I can’t lie.
May 4, 2021
I happened to see a post about this gem of a book on social media so I ordered it to see what everyone was talking about. So glad I did! These poems are amazing and I hope more people will see this book and read them!
Also, thank you Gordon McCulloch for these beautifully written poems that we all can now enjoy!
Also, thank you Gordon McCulloch for these beautifully written poems that we all can now enjoy!
Read
April 22, 2021Stumbled across the cutest thing on Instagram! Best of luck with everything, Gordon 🌻
April 14, 2023
Review:
This collection is very much the work of an old religious Scottish man who lost his wife of many years, but it's also the work of a man with an unexpected sense of humor and a powerful gift for delivery - or whatever you'd call the poetry equivalent of a punchline. And no, it's not a bunch of poems about the countryside and farm animals. Far, far from that.
I can very briefly tell you what I didn't like the collection, because it was just one thing: I didn't love the religious poems. Not because of any animosity I have towards religion/Christianity, but simply because those poems were universally the most generic, bland, and (ironically) the least inspiring. They were far out-shadowed by all of the more original, creative poems, in my opinion, but this could be a personal thing - perhaps if you are a religious person, you might disagree and actually connect much more with these poems! So this really isn't much of a criticism as a note of personal preference.
Now, my favorite aspect of this collection was the very strong narrative voice and identity: even without knowing who the author was, I would've known immediately that it was an elderly man who has thought much about aging, death, forgotten memories, the modern world, and of relationships that are long gone. I know that a lot of the thoughts described in these poems resonated with me since I have older parents.
Also - read these poems aloud! So much poetry these days is stylized and meant to be looked at on a page and not actually read aloud, but this collection has the delightful rhyme and rhythm I always look for in poetry.
In lieu of a more detailed review, I'll put some of my favorite excerpts/poems below:
"The Stolen Kiss," which reads like a fairy tale and reminds me of Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market":
A humorous poem, called "Confused":
Thoughtful, like in this excerpt of "Awe":
Sardonic, in this excerpt from "My Queen":
Emotional, like "Forlorn":
And I'll finish this review by saying that while I love the heartwarming story behind this collection (and admittedly bought it just to support his dream, as a 96 years old poet), the 5 stars I'm giving this collection is based purely on its merit and on my enjoyment of the work. As someone who was a double-literature major as an undergrad, I can honestly say the beauty of these poems is something truly remarkable.
Here is the granddaughter's most recent update:
Note: There are actually 99 poems, as "Aging" and "Rosebud" are the same poem (with "Rosebud" having a misspelling) and "You" and "Memories" also being the same poem aside from the word "matter" being changed to "mattered". But for a self-published book by a 96-year old man, the book is surprisingly well-designed and printed: clean, easy-to-read and professional typeface, perfect formatting/spacing, and very few typos (I only counted 3-4 minor typos on my read through).
*2021 Around the Year Reading Challenge*
Prompts #18-20: 3 Books related to "Past, Present, Future"
Interpretation: By age of narrator
#18: "Past" (Childhood) - Room
#19: "Present" (Young Adulthood) - Romancing the Duke
#20: "Future" (Late Adulthood) - 101 Poems
This collection is very much the work of an old religious Scottish man who lost his wife of many years, but it's also the work of a man with an unexpected sense of humor and a powerful gift for delivery - or whatever you'd call the poetry equivalent of a punchline. And no, it's not a bunch of poems about the countryside and farm animals. Far, far from that.
I can very briefly tell you what I didn't like the collection, because it was just one thing: I didn't love the religious poems. Not because of any animosity I have towards religion/Christianity, but simply because those poems were universally the most generic, bland, and (ironically) the least inspiring. They were far out-shadowed by all of the more original, creative poems, in my opinion, but this could be a personal thing - perhaps if you are a religious person, you might disagree and actually connect much more with these poems! So this really isn't much of a criticism as a note of personal preference.
Now, my favorite aspect of this collection was the very strong narrative voice and identity: even without knowing who the author was, I would've known immediately that it was an elderly man who has thought much about aging, death, forgotten memories, the modern world, and of relationships that are long gone. I know that a lot of the thoughts described in these poems resonated with me since I have older parents.
Also - read these poems aloud! So much poetry these days is stylized and meant to be looked at on a page and not actually read aloud, but this collection has the delightful rhyme and rhythm I always look for in poetry.
In lieu of a more detailed review, I'll put some of my favorite excerpts/poems below:
"The Stolen Kiss," which reads like a fairy tale and reminds me of Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market":
I stole a kiss from her sweet lips
I thought she'd never miss it
the kiss was a such a tender one
I knew it was illicit
I took the kiss and locked it up
and locked it in my heart
and from that day I must say
I loved it from the start
She asked me to return the kiss
she said, please bring it back
I told her that I stole it
And locked it in my heart
My dear she whispered softly
please give it back to me
and you can have another kiss
that isn't stole from me
A humorous poem, called "Confused":
The more I think
I think the more
and what is more
I'm never bored
The most of what
and what is more
I think that I
said that before.
The more I think for I must say
I can't go on
like this all day.
I think I'll think
of it no more
I'll close my mind
and think no more.
Thoughtful, like in this excerpt of "Awe":
Have you ever seen a face
that stands out in a crowd
then wonder where you've seen it
then start to think out loud.
Who were those passing strangers
you never seen before
you see them one time in your life
then don't see them no more.
Sardonic, in this excerpt from "My Queen":
The queen that once in youth I loved
has changed beyond redemption
the only pleasure I have now
Is going for my pension
Emotional, like "Forlorn":
If you've never shed a tear
or if you've never cried
then something deep inside you
at one time must have died.
If you have never ever loved
or felt its tender touch
then something deep inside you
has hurt you very much.
If you have never ever laughed
or known the joy it brings
then something deep inside you
destroyed this wondrous thing.
If you could look outside yourself
instead of looking in
then something deep inside you
could help you to begin.
And I'll finish this review by saying that while I love the heartwarming story behind this collection (and admittedly bought it just to support his dream, as a 96 years old poet), the 5 stars I'm giving this collection is based purely on its merit and on my enjoyment of the work. As someone who was a double-literature major as an undergrad, I can honestly say the beauty of these poems is something truly remarkable.
Here is the granddaughter's most recent update:
We only expected 100 books to sell but now his words are all over the world. I am thankful I've been able to put a smile on his face because that was all I wanted. My grandpa is very old and lives a private life because of that this will be the last thing I post about my grandpa's incredible journey. I hope the love from this gives people comfort and hope that unbelievable things do happen, no dream is too big or too late.
Note: There are actually 99 poems, as "Aging" and "Rosebud" are the same poem (with "Rosebud" having a misspelling) and "You" and "Memories" also being the same poem aside from the word "matter" being changed to "mattered". But for a self-published book by a 96-year old man, the book is surprisingly well-designed and printed: clean, easy-to-read and professional typeface, perfect formatting/spacing, and very few typos (I only counted 3-4 minor typos on my read through).
*2021 Around the Year Reading Challenge*
Prompts #18-20: 3 Books related to "Past, Present, Future"
Interpretation: By age of narrator
#18: "Past" (Childhood) - Room
#19: "Present" (Young Adulthood) - Romancing the Duke
#20: "Future" (Late Adulthood) - 101 Poems
May 18, 2022
About a year ago this book went viral because the author’s granddaughter wrote a tweet asking people to read and review her 96 year old grandfather’s poetry book since it would surprise him and make him so happy. The book ended up being an Amazon bestseller and had thousands of reviews. Because of this I knew I had to buy it. Because if that story doesn’t make you feel good inside, I don’t know what will. I love that story so much and reading this book knowing all that just made me feel like I was sitting by a warm fire on a cold night drinking hot chocolate.
May 6, 2021
Came upon this through an article and wanted to read it. Gordon S. McCulloch is a 92-year-old man who, through the magic of I don't know what, became a best-selling poetry author this year, after the publication of this, his 101 Poems.
In general, I felt like the poems evoke a sort-of grandpa energy. In a roundabout way, this is probably intentional. As previously noted, McCulloch is an old man, and his musings seem often to reflect his real feelings on life--so, of course his poems would have that feeling! I found this to be a very delicious thing to read, and it was added to by our authors decided undercurrent of realism. Thus, this is certainly a good read, even if we do not factor in the novelty of how it became famous.
There are a number of themes that pop up as one reads the poems. The most dominant one could be described as the End of Life. Throughout, we read numerous poems about having grown old, and how death is inevitable; these poems are often optimistic to some extent, but McCulloch has a tendency to pierce to the root and show the problem as it is, without much adornment. (For example, "The Christmas Tree" describes a beautifully decorated, festive tree, but ends with these lines: "but underneath those glossy things / it's just a plain fir tree.") One common theme I found that connects itself heavily with this End of Life idea is that we should live fully. As the poem "On Loan" rather succinctly states: "enjoy yourself while you are here / your destiny's the tomb." Another dominant theme throughout is religion. For example, in "Gone to Hell" we see him choose to descend to Hell, although we do no know if he stays. Perhaps contrarily, his poems "Morning," "Divine Meeting," and "My Prayer," all portray a sort-of reverence for God (in the first, nature is deemed to come from God; in the second, an angelic woman tells him to believe; and in the third, he prays to the Lord, but I need only concern myself with the first few lines at present: "O God if you desert me / I don’t know what I’d do / my life would be so empty / there’s nothing else but you"). Maybe his view is that, although God is great, some of those that follow Him are not--or, maybe they are great, as well, but just not his style. A few of the poems are distinctly political. For example, "Kings and Monarchs" is a poem about the rich using the poor to "prosper." His main example in the poem is through war--it is not the rich that go to war, but the poor. I think the funniest theme that runs throughout this book can be described as Bed-Worship. There are two principle poems that give this impression: "My Secret" and "Queen of Sleep." (I do think there is a third one; I looked around a bit through the text, but, alas! I could not find it.) In these poems, we read about our authors love of sleep (the first one being a surprise for the readers, I am sure, and the second about a goddess-like figure who is the "queen of sleep").
As a final note (which is more of an aside, really), one problem that I found was that, unfortunately, our author does not care too much about punctuation or proper spelling, making some of what he wrote more difficult to understand. But this was not too difficult to overcome, so it is not a serious problem.
In general, I felt like the poems evoke a sort-of grandpa energy. In a roundabout way, this is probably intentional. As previously noted, McCulloch is an old man, and his musings seem often to reflect his real feelings on life--so, of course his poems would have that feeling! I found this to be a very delicious thing to read, and it was added to by our authors decided undercurrent of realism. Thus, this is certainly a good read, even if we do not factor in the novelty of how it became famous.
There are a number of themes that pop up as one reads the poems. The most dominant one could be described as the End of Life. Throughout, we read numerous poems about having grown old, and how death is inevitable; these poems are often optimistic to some extent, but McCulloch has a tendency to pierce to the root and show the problem as it is, without much adornment. (For example, "The Christmas Tree" describes a beautifully decorated, festive tree, but ends with these lines: "but underneath those glossy things / it's just a plain fir tree.") One common theme I found that connects itself heavily with this End of Life idea is that we should live fully. As the poem "On Loan" rather succinctly states: "enjoy yourself while you are here / your destiny's the tomb." Another dominant theme throughout is religion. For example, in "Gone to Hell" we see him choose to descend to Hell, although we do no know if he stays. Perhaps contrarily, his poems "Morning," "Divine Meeting," and "My Prayer," all portray a sort-of reverence for God (in the first, nature is deemed to come from God; in the second, an angelic woman tells him to believe; and in the third, he prays to the Lord, but I need only concern myself with the first few lines at present: "O God if you desert me / I don’t know what I’d do / my life would be so empty / there’s nothing else but you"). Maybe his view is that, although God is great, some of those that follow Him are not--or, maybe they are great, as well, but just not his style. A few of the poems are distinctly political. For example, "Kings and Monarchs" is a poem about the rich using the poor to "prosper." His main example in the poem is through war--it is not the rich that go to war, but the poor. I think the funniest theme that runs throughout this book can be described as Bed-Worship. There are two principle poems that give this impression: "My Secret" and "Queen of Sleep." (I do think there is a third one; I looked around a bit through the text, but, alas! I could not find it.) In these poems, we read about our authors love of sleep (the first one being a surprise for the readers, I am sure, and the second about a goddess-like figure who is the "queen of sleep").
As a final note (which is more of an aside, really), one problem that I found was that, unfortunately, our author does not care too much about punctuation or proper spelling, making some of what he wrote more difficult to understand. But this was not too difficult to overcome, so it is not a serious problem.
May 9, 2021
I loved this book. I didn’t read this book from beginning to end. I would open a page and read a poem. And so on. Every poem is so different and beautiful. A glimpse into a life well-lived.
May 5, 2021
I bought this book and read the poems in the car with the family while riding. The kids (14 & 6), husband, and I loved it. Sweet short poems that the entire family loves. I recommend this fully.
April 29, 2021
When you stumble upon this story on Facebook about an old man fulfilling a lifelong dream to publish his poems... how do you not support this?! 💜
Poetry doesn't do much for me but I read through them anyway. Some were funny, some serious, some happy, some sad.
Congrats Mr. McCullouch!
Poetry doesn't do much for me but I read through them anyway. Some were funny, some serious, some happy, some sad.
Congrats Mr. McCullouch!
April 23, 2021
What a delightful read! Best of luck 💙
April 25, 2021
Collection of poems collected over a life well lived:)
April 26, 2021
This book was great! It was so interesting to read all the poems throughout this mans life. I totally recomend.
April 26, 2021
So sweet
Sweet and thoughtful words put together in a way that made me smile. I can't wait to share with others.
Sweet and thoughtful words put together in a way that made me smile. I can't wait to share with others.
September 3, 2023
El tweet que vi de este libro me conmovió mucho y quise leerlo. Es cotidiano en todas sus letras; la banalidad y la profundidad del día a día bien acomodaditos en cada poema, la reflexión de la vejez, la muerte, el tiempo pasar. Bomnito.
April 27, 2021
Very sweet and introspective look back on a long life full of love, observation and prayer.
April 28, 2021
A lovely collection of poems full of heart and emotion and even some humor!
A variety of topics from Love, loss, God and faith, family, war, life and death.
I am glad to have this on my shelves.
A variety of topics from Love, loss, God and faith, family, war, life and death.
I am glad to have this on my shelves.
June 9, 2021
These poems were beautiful! Filled with gorgeous imagery and touches of humor, Mr. Gordon’s poems inspire reflection. So glad I found about this from twitter. Thank you for sharing!
June 18, 2021
Simply put, Beautiful
Read one and pulled right in. It touched my heart and I’m thankful for the experience. I love poetry and they are all thought provoking and get you right in the feels
Read one and pulled right in. It touched my heart and I’m thankful for the experience. I love poetry and they are all thought provoking and get you right in the feels
May 30, 2021
I am new to kindle and didn't think that my original review on goodreads was going to be discarded completely... It's a good thing I took note of the segments I found most relevant. These are merely my thoughts and opinions. This was an interesting, thought provoking and weirdly fascinating anthology of poems. I wrote a lot of annotations while I was reading it on kindle and highlighted my favourite parts. These can be accessed easily. I felt as though many of these were heart warming, others I found boring and the rhyme scheme made me cringe because of how forced it was while another few really challenged my beliefs and made me ponder about how a 96 year old views the world. I am 18 and was fascinated as to how insightful and deep some of these were. The poem about man and machine gave me this feeling especially since it felt as though the poet was unable to understand how much easier life has become through technological advancements. I despised how punctuation was almost completely disregarded and how there were some misprints which coincidentally changed the meaning of the entire verse. I would definitely read more poems by McCulloch if he published any.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2021
A wonderful collection of great poems. I truly enjoyed reading each and everyone of them. I highly recommend buying and reading this book. Great work Gordon S. McCulloch!
July 21, 2021
101 Poems by Gordon S. McCulloch was a social media impulse buy. McCulloch’s granddaughter had posted that he had self-published a book of poetry, asking for people to send him some love. His book was an instant success, and after reading it, I understand why. His poems are sweet, an encapsulation of events and people in his life. Some poems are better than others, but overall, it is as good or better than any other poetry book I’ve read recently. He deserves some love and his place on the charts with other best sellers. 101 Poems is definitely a good read!
August 23, 2022
There were some gems amongst the rhinestones. The minor issues were some proofreading problems -- quite vs. quiet, to vs. too, loose vs. lose. Wrong word choices sort of pop you out of the poems. Also, some poems scanned really well which is important for poetry with rhyme and meter.
The major subject was aging, looking back to a younger self, dying.
Sometimes the poet's sense of humor came through including some interesting word play now and then.
The major subject was aging, looking back to a younger self, dying.
Sometimes the poet's sense of humor came through including some interesting word play now and then.
June 3, 2022
Poetry isn’t my thing in all honesty, but when I heard about this elderly grandfather who had been writing poetry his whole life and had just published a book full of his life’s work; I had to check it out. I’m still not a fan of poetry and I’m not the kind of guy who can be emotionally affected by poems, but it is clear to me that this is a man who knows what he is doing. He is a true wordsmith and although I’m no poetry fan and I couldn’t say I enjoyed every poem here but he has definitely put some words on paper that I will remember for quite some time.
December 31, 2021
It took me just under an hour to finish this little anthology, and I loved every minute of it. My journey to owning this book was the same as others; a Twitter post by a granddaughter promoting her 96 year old Grandfather’s work. And, I must say, I’m so glad I picked it up. These little stories build up an entire life, and I loved getting a little peak into Gordon’s life. I’d love a proper memoir from him - I imagine it would be a fun read!
July 2, 2021
A nice book of poetry, on a variety of life’s topics, written in a fairly classic style. The book is as notable for its authors story (first publication after his granddaughters post about it went viral) as it is for its content. Reading it is both a pleasant experience and a reminder to never give up.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews