Title: True Presence
Author: Selina Ward
Publisher: Balboa Press
ISBN: 978-1-5043-1320-9
Genre: Poetry
Pages: 52
Reviewed by: Beth Adams

Read Book Review

In a collection of poetry by author and poet Selina Ward, the human elements of dealing with loss, healing and moving forward are expressed wonderfully in True Presence.

Without using the support of Biblical excerpts or referencing to God, she focuses on human emotions and feelings within the realm of nature being the higher power. In her poem titled “Change” she makes the analogy to a butterfly emerging to a new experience, having to deal with pain, and then ultimately embracing the new celebration of life. I was particularly touched by her sensitive awareness and empathetic understandings. In her poem titled “To Cleanse the Soul,” Selina Ward describes her way of dealing with tragedy by using nature as an escape, going to the mountains and finding a place to simply breath in and out slowly. The cover art of True Presence reflects the theme of this poem; with its message provides an actionable way to deal with overpowering stresses caused by life’s unavoidable sadness at times. In her poem “Time” she says that “Time is the one thing that governs all things / In all forms of life / It takes time to grow a plant / From seed, to seedling, to plant / In all its glory.” Her words are strong yet clear, not embellishing her poetry with a beat nor rhythm, she poignantly focuses her message for all readers to understand within a wide variety of age audiences.

True Presence is a gem of a short book dealing with overcoming loss in a way not to offend any reader from any age category. Her digging deeply into her own mind, finding her way to deal with tragedy and subsequently scribing it in poetry, has enabled her to articulate a healthy sequence of thought processes for others to use as a guide to heal their own emotions. True Presence would be best bought in the printed format, as having it around a space such as on a bedside table or in a waiting room of a medical office for readers to pick up at any page within the book, they will undoubtedly be challenged to put down without finishing it. This would also be an excellent gift for those who just suffered a loss or as a reading tool to a workgroup on emotional recovery from grief. Each time reading this book will bring out new thoughts, which is the best recommendation for a book of this genre.

Good advice, well received, is the sign of an intelligent mind; and the accomplishment of offering such good advice in True Presence is a commendable achievement from the sensitive mind of Selina Ward.