Poetry of Aloha

 Poetry of Aloha

By Stephen Carbon

Poetry of Aloha is a collection of photographs and poems, with a focus on Hawaiian themes. Every poem is preceded by a photo. Photos are all landscape pictures or close-ups of flowers. The poetry doesn’t seem to follow any set formula for its structure, though all tend to focus on nature, and most on romance. 

All in all, I enjoyed reading Poetry of Aloha. I would liken its contents to guava juice or nectar: enjoyable in moderation. The poetry shares a relaxed mood and does not tend to convey strong or negative emotions. With its loose and unstructured style, one may enjoy reading it without any expectations. Every rhyme, or lack thereof, comes as a welcome surprise. The verses, as far as I could tell, did not have a set syllabic structure either, further adding to the feeling that this is poetry meant to be felt and enjoyed as it is revealed.

This is not poetry meant for children, as the themes tend to focus on romance or at times have references or terminology that would need to be explained. Though not explicit, I feel that only an adult can truly appreciate the context of these poems.

Reading Poetry of Aloha, I did enjoy most of its contents but did find a few minor issues that at times impeded my enjoyment of it more fully. Reading consistently through the book, I became aware of some words that would appear more often than others and some of the rhymes became predictable or overused. The author often preceded nouns beginning with a vowel with “a” instead of “an” which bothered me at times though I could overlook it.

In the end, I recommend Poetry of Aloha to anyone who seeks to go or has gone to Hawaii. There are terms within the book that I am not too familiar with but am sure that a more indoctrinated person would receive more enjoyment from. With its focus on nature and its positive tones, I found most of the poems to be a relaxing and rejuvenating experience. I can see this book in the library of anyone willing to sporadically pick it up and flip to a page. I can also see it in the library of anyone who enjoys being outdoors and can appreciate its beauty.

Length: 208 pages

https://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Aloha-Verses-Hawaiian-Island/dp/1728305721