Paul Goldman

Silence Speaks, the new collection of poems by Paul Goldman, is an introspective journey for the reader. The reader can meditate on the lovely words of each poem; I often paused to delve deeper into a stanza or line and reflect on the meaning, of how I fit in the world around me.

Each word seems carefully chosen to flow in a harmonic resonance that sings to one's soul. There is a strong spirituality at work here, but more muted and retrospective than in his previous works.

While I like almost every poem in the collection, I will share some lines from one that touched me the most called Do You Remember?

Do you remember how to fly?
Just lift your arms, bend your head

back and feel your wings unfold.
Soon, you are aloft in the clear

abiding blue, nothing but endless sky
all around.… (mer)

I was in a poetry mood tonight, so I went to my TBR pile and pulled this book out. I'm so glad that I did. Mr. Goldman writes spiritual poetry that takes you out of yourself and makes you want to strive for better. This is a fairly quick read, but I often stopped on certain lines to think further about what was being said and how I interpreted the words. It is an emotional journey that is ably enhanced by the paintings interspersed throughout the book. The artist is Natosha Keefer and I would be remiss if I didn't mention her work and how well it matches the poems.
There is much to choose from here, but I especially liked the title poem, Upon Your Canvas, Syncopation, This Reverent Madness, Live Simply, Have You Ever, Believe Anything, and I Am Who You Are. Truthfully, there were not many poems that I did not enjoy reading. I heartily recommend this book for when you would like to delve just a little further into your own heart and mind. It is well worth it.… (mer)