"Proceed With Awesome" by seasoned poet Following Whispers is surprisingly his publishing debut, although he has been writing poems for over 20 years.
This book of poetry is a collection that follows the order in which he actually wrote the poems in, kicking off with the poem "Birth", it is evident that he is instantly able to transport us to other realms in order to set the scene for addressing subjects, which in this instance is the loss of family members and the resulting frustration and pain, yet he doesn't dwell on his emotions in this example, instead he succinctly displays a reassuring level of understanding and acceptance seldom seen when tackling subject matter that is so personal and potentially this dark.
Tactfully, just as much is said in-between the lines of the poems as within them, yet as we progress deeper into the collection, Following Whispers becomes even more open with the reader, increasingly philosophical and more descriptively explicit in his narrative, as his voice becomes more distinct and confident.
The book has a huge variety of topics, including love; life, death; space; wrestling with one's emotions; nature and natural wonders; acceptable and unreasonable expectations; secrets; victimisation, addiction; academia and career prospects; obsession; unwarranted maliciousness; sexual ecstasy; loneliness; and euphoria. The poems make for a strong, well-rounded collection, but notable highlights include: "Secrets of The Crescent Moon"; "Bad Experiences of Obsession"; "Pressure"; "The Search For True Love"; "Malice"; "Goodbye Already"; the multilingual "Lost In Translation"; "The World Is So Cold"; and "Grateful". He always manages to find a ray of sunshine in any dark clouds, ending the poems on a more positive or decisive note.
As the book's subtitle informs us, this is indeed a poetic journey, one of self-discovery and discovery of the World around us, exploration of the soul, the body and the mind, of the heart and the almost inescapable trappings of human nature and society; plus a journey towards finding 'the one', and much more besides. It is a rewarding read, one that you can go back to time and time again, and interestingly get more from it each time, in short, it is a highly recommended read.
Whispers, Following: - Following Whispers is the poet and author alias of an English writer, who has been writing poetry for over two decades. He was initially inspired to put pen to paper after a series of difficult events that shook him to the core, leaving him struggling to make sense of what had happened and why; make sense of the somewhat merciless world around him; his emotions; who he was; and more importantly, who he wanted to become. Growing up, he didn't really have any conventional male role models around, there was no masculine go-to, someone to encourage him to keep any excessive displays of masculinity in check, or at least help in steering his vessel away from impending destructive outcomes, instead he was forced to make his own mistakes and find his own feet as a man. This actually ended up working to his advantage, as being raised solely by his Mother afforded him with a sensitive, sensuous side he could tap into when favourable conditions were present. He found that by embracing this feminine side of his personality, he found greater strength of character and clarity of vision. Whispers is a self-confessed Geek, speaking with him, you find that his thought process is deep but not overwhelming, instead his perspective is inherently heart-warming; intuitive; sometimes dark, but seemingly honest; fun; passionate and inspiring. When describing his 'voice' and his fondness for writing, he mused, I realised that beauty could be born out of not only love, but also pain and other motivations. The more I used this therapeutic implement, the more I realised that it helped me to find a silver lining in even the darkest emotions, experiences, observations and topics; find positivity even in the face of extreme negativity; find strength when I was being forced to feel weak; and find hope that my tomorrows would be brighter. The aptly titled debut book of poetry, Proceed With Awesome from Following Whispers (available from all good eBook stockists), is a refreshing read packed full of resoundingly insightful writing. He leaves everything on the page for the reader to explore or empathise with, but regardless of what mood each poem begins with, you get a strong sense that he aims for us all to dwell in a more positive place by their conclusions. Sure, his writing began with the intent of opening his own eyes, describing his happiness or healing his pain, yet I sense it will do much more than that, it is destined to bestow us all with this gift of reflection into our own lives, and will proceed to bathe us in bucket loads of Awesome! If you are in pursuit of further information or have any other queries related to this author or his publishing debut, please visit followingwhispers.com, where you will find his blog, plus all of his social media links, so that you can follow him, reach out to him or simply check out his micropoetry and other numerous posts.
