Title: Wild Hope
Author: Donna Ashworth
Publisher: Black & White Publishing
Genre: Poetry, Self Help
Release Date: 28th September 2023
BLURB from Goodreads
Wild Hope is Donna Ashworth's powerful new collection of wisdom to help us find hope, peace, self-acceptance and inspiration on the days we feel worn down, helpless or sad. Written with love and understanding, Donna reminds us that amidst our daily struggles and constant outpourings of bad news we have so much to hope for, and that every one of us can play a part, big or small, in making the world a better place.
This is definitely a brilliant book to have to hand or on your bookshelf! As the title suggests the poems within all have the theme of hope within them. The book cover features butterflies and the byline “Healing Words to Find Light on Dark Days”. The byline truly fits the book perfectly as there is a poem in it for every situation. The poems are comforting, like a warm hug or a kind word from a close friend. Some of the poems are very Aesop fable-esque, it’s difficult to explain but they are very descriptive and kind of teaching you something in their own unique way. I found some of the poems extremely poignant and emotional in relation to the deaths of my parents such as,
Threads From Heaven, is one I could relate myself and really loved the concept as its true I think of most people who look upwards to the sky when they think of loved ones no longer with them.
Also Their light Will Find You which is a about a loved one dying, and that those left behind can no longer see their light but in time, though you are “left behind” you can and will “feel” their light
Another I loved and I thought fit anyone with Dementia was In Rest They Remember, it puts across a very comforting idea
Another poem that had me smiling and reminiscing was After Party as I have the fondest memories of staying up after the New Years Eve party at my aunties and not even going to bed because of all the tidying, cleaning, sorting the vinyl records back into their correct slip cases when everyone had left in the early hours of the morning of New Years Day!
The other poem that had me feeling emotional was Great Friends it is accurate and true, as this poem says great friends are like stars you maybe don’t always see them, or see them regularly but they are still there.
Other poems were like lessons in how we can improve ourselves for example, Just Visiting the notion is that we are just visiting this planet, that we are being gifted access to it and that we, humans, should be better much guests & take care of this world we live in so it is in a decent state for our children.
Another such poem was The Story Of You, it’s about a woman writing down all her thoughts, her life & her story in a blue book. The blue book is then forgotten but is later found by the woman’s grandaughter who shared it with the world.
I also really loved the explanation of karma poem which is called The Karma Thief. It says we all have a jar of light (aka karma), you give this light away in good acts and then it returns to you and it’s even brighter and it’s when you most need it. However, if you are mean or unkind or nasty you give away a light that will never come back to you, or be a comfort to you.
The major lasting message that I took from the book that was loud and clear was about being yourself regardless of what others think, doing things for yourself, saying no, reminding you to just stop, breathe and enjoy being.
Summing up this book has a great selection of motivational poetry. I readily confess to not being a big poetry reader or poetry lover but I did enjoy the collection. It's the type of book you need to have on your book shelf so you can return to it on those days you need cheering up and spurring on. Definitely a book you will keep on returning to and dipping in and out of.
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