Review: Crenellations by Ann B. Keller

[A. F. Stewart]

Crenellations by Ann B. Keller is an interesting mixture of poetry, with some compelling visual imagery. Each rhyme is a story told in poetry form, and takes the reader through an enchanting and varied journey.

“Could a dragon have a home, like you or I,
A place where the younglings grow strong,
With mother and father feeding their babes
Teaching them honor and magic, right from wrong?”

The poems range in topic from ageless fantasy and history to quiet ruminations on nature and life. I found the tone old-fashioned and lyrical, in the grand tradition of a bard. It is a bursting world, full of musings on fair maidens, knights, castles, myths, innocence, flora, family, love and God. The author seems to be channelling, with great aplomb, the spirits of poets past.

“In this secret place, I dance with shadows
And waltz with creatures of the night,
With thundering heart, I cling to thee,
As midnight steals over my soul.”

There are no avant-garde poems in the book’s pages, simply odes to the time-honoured forms of poetry.

Personally, I would have liked to have seen a bit more structure in the format, perhaps with the poems categorized, but this quibble certainly does not detract from the delight taken in the reading of the poetry or the skill of the poet.

Crenellations is a picturesque and comforting book of poetry and I greatly recommend it.


Available at Lulu.com: Crenellations