THE BLESSINGS
This is Gus Speth’s fourth collection of poems. Many of the pieces included express wonder and appreciation for the gifts we share with each other and find in the natural world, thus the title. Others relate revealing human encounters. There are love poems, political poems, dog poems, funny poems, and a small collection of telling limericks. In one poem, he asks himself, “Did you not see that she was real and you were just a character in your dream?”
Praise for Speth’s The Blessings
“The Blessings is a group of crisply written work, a fresh outlook, and a joyful reading. Speth’s humor and whimsy are evident, and one of my favorites in the collection is a poem called Hopium. Other works are far more serious in nature, but still the words fall together like easy companions. Speth has devoted much of his career to working to make the world better over his 80 years. Interesting how his poetry deepens his calling, making it even more genuine.”
— Jennifer Brown, artist and illustrator
“There’s a homespun charm in these poems that is hard to resist. Plain words spoken, with great depth underneath. Always that surprising turn of phrase, that quick flash of wit, these verses gather the mournful and the delightful into one big, playful hug. Lots of pain here, but we smile, we nod, we seem to understand. Yes, these are thoughts we seem to feel ourselves, now anchored on our mind.”
— A. Karim Ahmed, environmental scientist and author of Amaterasu’s Invitation
“In some cultures poetry can inspire a revolution, but in America we isolate their messages so that poets are not a threat. Gus Speth’s new book The Blessings deserves to escape to a wider public as he offers a “kaleidoscope of joy and tragedy.” Like a fine wine, Gus’s outrage has fermented over time as he has gone from the pinnacles of government, academia and non-profit activism to distilling his anger and hope into poetry that mixes wonderful descriptions of rural life, love, and calls for rebellion.”
— Sam Love, author of Earth Resonance and other poems