Many ideas grow in this garden of poetry by M.S. Adam-Zad: ways to treat the Earth and people, suggestions for raising children, thoughts on praising the Lord, the effects of war, and other issues of a worldly and spiritual nature.
In this physically beautiful oversized book, this collection of rhyming poetry is divided into four “gardens.” (An introduction describing the author’s purpose and naming each of the gardens would be useful additions for readers.) Each page features the same background illustration: plants at the bottom and rainbows splashed across the top, with poems centered over the artwork. The first poem, “Mother Earth,” sets the tone for the rest of the book with praise for the soil’s ability to grow food, the sky’s ability to produce rain and God’s ability to forgive mankind’s annoyances. These themes recur throughout the collection.
This poetry is apparently translated into English from another language, although the work’s origin isn’t explained. The language barrier poses a significant problem, and the work would benefit greatly in terms of poetic flow and reader comprehension from being edited by a proficient English speaker (who might also note the duplication of the poem “All Excuses Were Lame”).
For example, in “Just Abuse Only,” Adam-Zad writes: “Humans are not to deal like a pair of throwing shoes./ Tell do you have some courage to get rid of all abuse?/ Why each person so attractive then tears after expose!/ Brother and sisters the choice is yours without impose.” With some sensitivity and imagination, readers might be able to grasp the poet’s intentions, but they likely will have difficulty deciphering specific meanings word-by-word, making this a daunting read unlikely to attract a wide audience.
