Title: The Woven Flag
Author: Margaret Fourt Goka
Publisher: BookVenture Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-946492-70-8
Pages: 76
Genre: Poetry
Reviewed by: Ella Vincent
Pacific Book Review
The Woven Flag is a collection of insightful and emotional poems from Margaret Fourt Goka. The poems are ruminations on family, animals and America which readers will love. Homages to Goka’s family are woven throughout book. The Woven Flag is also helpfully organized into sections like “Home”, “ Animals” and “ Family.” The book covers a mixture of topics, from serious topics like the loss of a child to light subjects as simple as enjoying a cup of wine or tea. She has a humorous observation on the playfulness of cats which all animal lovers will find amusing.
In poems like “Baby in April”, Goka writes eloquently about her daughter Katie being born in spring: “Time goes lightly/I watch you while/Small leaves start.” Another poem, “This Evening”, captures the comforting chaos of a busy family at home. “A shelf holds children’s books sideways/ the floor is full, the bottom shelves half empty/This disorderly corer is the heart of the house.” Other poems such as “Cook’s Canyon” focus on observations about nature. The final poems are the most poignant, with poems such as “Sun Sadness” and “Lost Singing” serving as remembrances of her parents and her husband.
Goka’s poems are so effortlessly written that they are instantly relatable. Her reflections on her family and the simple mundane pleasures they bring are portrayed so well in Goka’s work. Her writing is also so evocative with her descriptions of her family’s bustling activities in her home, the nature that inspires her, and the peace she finds in writing poetry. The poem that inspired the title of the book, “For Children’’, will have readers easily imagining the three flags Goka wove together while enjoying the company of her children.
Goka’s poems would be best for fans of poetry about family and nature. Poetry lovers who are fans of Robert Frost’s “ A Late Walk” or Wendell Berry’s “The Peace of Wild Things” would love Goka’s poems about nature and finding tranquility in nature and animals. The Woven Flag would also be perfect for readers who like the poetry of Alice Walker. Her poems such as “On Sight” and her reflections on being a mother are similar to Goka’s thoughts in her poems about being a mother.
The Woven Flag would be ideal for poetry discussion groups or even for poetry students in high schools and universities. As this is her second book, Goka’s work is inspiring and will inspire readers to find joy in the simple pleasures of life and will expand her reader base. The Woven Flag is a book which will be a welcome addition to any poetry lover’s collection.
