Title: Preacher with a Pen
Author: Garfield Willis Gordon
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1-7960-3608-4
Genre: Poetry
Pages: 218
Reviewed by: Carl Conrad

Read Book Review

While this book of poems by Garfield Willis Gordon, called Preacher with a Pen, may not be as professionally written and structured as many poetry books you may know of – often suffering from a misplaced word, a misspelling, or a line of irregular meter – it none-the-less will immerse the reader in the kind of reverence, worship, and praise for the Lord that will baptize your soul with the Holy Spirit. It is a book of 218 pages with a poem on every page; the kind of down-home, plain-spoken, easy-to-comprehend writing which will fill you with the spirit of the Lord as easily as if you were basting another rack of ribs on the grill.

Many of the poems are dated by the month, day, and year in which they were written, although some are identified by only the year, and the smallest group are not dated at all. However, of those that are dated, they stretch from a period of time from 2005 through 2010. Accompanying the poems, profusely placed down the left-hand column of each page, Bible verses are referenced by book, chapter, and verse which may indicate a relationship to the lines of the poem or some suggested reference that was never made clear.

It would have been interesting for Mr. Gordon to have included a Preface with his poems, although he didn’t, in which he could have filled in more of the background and inspiration for his poetry. One can only surmise from the cover of the book (with a motorcycle rider superimposed on it), the non-academic nature of the writing, and the heavy emphasis on absolving himself from sin and the temptations of Satan, that Mr. Gordon may be a member of a motorcycle club. He may have had a rough and sinfilled period of his life, and may now be following a much more disciplined and purposeful commitment to God and the Bible.

It is this honest, unassuming, unpretentious acknowledgement of a man who has found the Lord, and is preaching for others to know of his conversion, that gives this book of poems a sense of truth, poignancy, and relevance that only an innocent sheep of the flock could put forth. For the reader who can see past the grammatical errors of Mr. Gordon’s poetry, there is a treasure trove of conviction, penance, and realization that is unmatched in its devotion and supplication to the word and guidance of God. An wonderful collection of poems that stir the heart, soul, and mind to see God more clearly.