Title: First Light
Author: Alberto Romero
Publisher: Rosedogbooks
ISBN: 9781434991867
Pages: 65, Paperback
Genre: Poetry/Spirituality
Reviewed By: Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
Book Review
Written in Spanish and translated into English by Simon Walter, Alberto Romero created a terse volume of poetry in his collection entitled First Light.As the first light of day brings forth the reality of life juxtaposed against the dreamland of the evening, I found the feelings and emotions of Alberto Romero candidly became his bridge between emotions and reason. I interpreted his poetry to be that of a highly sensitive man, a true lover of life, and a passionate companion lost in his search for his soul mate. A man hurt by others in love, reaching out for the closeness of togetherness but falling short of achieving his destiny. Because of this he finds comfort in his poetry.
Alberto Romero’s poems are written in an extremely short, somewhat ambiguous, and entirely emotional fashion. Romero’s words linger in your mind long after reading them, causing his words to become mingled with your own thoughts. In this way his book reaches out to the reader by causing a mental wake of personal thoughts to be stirred, as a variety of interpretations can be read into his poems. Like art, his words cause a reaction in the reader’s mind.
The book is bi-lingual, being written in both Spanish and English. It reads like prayers. The word “God” is referred to with thanks and each sentence deals with human feelings placed within us by our Heavenly Father. Like two dozen red roses, his two dozen plus poems all resemble each other in color, but have different number of peddles, or words, and thorns at different spots, which can cause pain if not held, or read, cautiously.
Published by Dorrance Publishing Company and appropriately marketed at the Rosedog Bookstore (www.rosedogbookstore.com), Alberto Romero’s work falls into the website’s spiritual poetry section and will be available soon. First Light will make a beautiful gift book for a special person, or I believe will be a good gift for either a “sympathy” or “get well” occasion. On the same token, it makes for an inspirational book for one’s own library. It is a book that can bring thought and comfort to someone going through the loneliness of a separation or recovering from the loss of a loved one.
On behalf of the many readers that will no doubt be touched by this collection of poems, I thank Alberto for his honesty, feelings, and expressions of love to God and humanity. Muchas gracias, y paz estar con usted.
