Title: Emotions and Thoughts
Author: George McKinney
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1-5245-2797-6
Pages: 52
Genre: Poetry / Family & Relationships / Marriage
Reviewed by: Beth Adams
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Pacific Book Review
Author and poet George McKinney has assembled a score of poems published in his book titled Emotions and Thoughts.
Each poem is terse, some stanzas are as short as 5 or 6 lines, put to the foot of the Beat genre, made famous by poets such as Jack Kerouac in the mid-1900’s. Impressionistic and slightly illusive in defining exact people or actions; McKinney is unpresumptuous in his candor, allowing the reveal of his inner feelings to emerge. This is done using ordinary wordsmithing, not relying on sophisticated vernacular or ambiguous interpretations. During the reading of the various poems, I could imagine the cigarette filled basement of Greenwich Village, New York, such as Café Wha in the ‘60s, perhaps with the muffled drumbeat of a bongo in the background. The poetry is written to make the reader think, or reflect upon their own experiences; not explaining morality nor social correctness but human feelings.
The galley text and layout of the book is very artfully done. Spacious and unencumbered in any graphically overbearing art, McKinney has chosen a clean, modern layout interleaving a title page prior to each poem. This slows down the pace of reading, allowing a pregnant moment to pause and think about what one has just read or guess at what’s to come.
Easily understood, however upon re-reading the book for my second time I took away more appreciation than I had on my first pass through the paging of this poetry book, which is often the case with this style of writing. The last poem, titled “Your Love,” was and is my favorite because it reminds me of the love in my life. It is very humble and sweet.
Emotions and Thoughts is by all means a collection worthy of a present to a special friend or lover. It is ideal for picking up and putting down as time allows, such as in the waiting room of a doctor’s office or even alongside your bed on a night table. Although terse, it does provide a window into a very sensitive and honest man’s thoughts, which will convey the humanity of respect and tenderness to all fortunate enough to read McKinney’s poetry.
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