By Tanya Batson-Savage, Staff ReporterIF MIXED Emotions a collection of poetry by Richard Titus and Bryan Smart were to be judged by its cover, it would easily garner rave reviews. Unfortunately, after being suitably impressed by the cover artwork, one has to read the poetry inside.
The poems, most of which were written by Titus, tackle a range of topics from God to love.
In his defence, though it is not a strong one, Titus declares that the poems are intentionally simple so that they do not elude the grasp of the common man. Most of the poems in Mixed Emotions are simple to a fault.
Despite Titus' assertion, it is insulting to suggest that the common man cannot understand poetic language. The result is that his poems are often bland and occasionally painfully bad.
Verses such as:
Don't ever doubt my love I will never break your heart
I promise you this we will never part
Don't ever doubt my love it will be there forever
I will never leave you not now or ever
taken from 'Don't Ever Doubt My Love' are scattered throughout the text, highlighting that Titus' greatest problem may be a lack of familiarity with poetic technique.
Some of the poems such as 'Accept Me As I Am' are quite childlike in nature. A few of these, deal with God and could possibly make good prayers for children. 'Dear Father' is one of these.
On my knees I come to you,
Help us increase the good we do
As much as we want to be forgiven
help us to forgive
The childlike nature of the rhyme would make it quite suitable for a child's bedtime prayer.
Indeed many of the poems have the stamp of early jottings of a young poet, who as yet has not moved beyond the need for rhyme and other aspects of poetry.
A few of the pieces make it to the cardboard poetry which could easily decorate a cubicle wall as a thought of the day. Not particularly brilliant or unique in nature, these poems are just bad enough to have appeal. 'To Start The Day At Work' is one of these.
Heavenly father as I prepare myself to carry out my daily task
For understanding, courage and patience I ask, reads the poem's opening lines. Another of that kind is 'The Road I Walk'. However, this poem in both content and rhythm is uncomfortably similar to 'Don't Quit'.
Lines such as When I am burnt by the sun and wet by the rain/ With only a few good memories to soothe my pain seem to be additions to 'Don't Quit. 'The Road I Walk' also ends on the same note as 'Don't Quit' declaring, Hold on, I see a light just ahead of the way!/I'll just rest right here and start walking another day.
Amidst Titus' poems which lay woodenly on the page are a few by Bryan Smart, which smack of a greater level, though not yet an impressive one, of poetic talent. Based on the cover, Smart is clearly a much better graphic artist than he is a poet.
Poems such as 'Of Life And The River' and 'We Cannot Sleep' could have used some more visit's from the poet's pen, but are shining beacon's beside Titus' 'Attitude' or 'Wild Imagination', which are achingly bad.
Whether, either poet will eventually tap into their muse, Mixed Emotions declares that neither had yet reached the stage where their work should be etched in print.
