Art and poetry combine to describe desire and love and sensuality.

I read this book as an egalley, and I have to admit that the formating, or lack thereof did sometimes impact my enjoyment of the text.

Overall, I enjoyed the description and the rhythm of the poems in this book. Some worked very well for me, and others I found myself flipping past and for me personally, they didn't connect. I did love the connection to nature and love and emotion, much of the imagery was vivid and appreciated. Overall I would consider it a good addition to poetry collections, particularly those that deal with nature or romantic topics.

Broken into 10 books (or parts/chapters) that count as a sort of theme for the poems we have a lot of different topics that the poet explores.
I did find the quantity a bit overwhelming and unfortunately I didn't really connect at all to any of the poems; I didn't feel moved or particularly fond of many. Only a few stood out to me a little (those being "Leaf After Leaf I'm the Pure Wind", "apparition", "prayer" and "Little Red Peach").

There was a line in a poem called "Isolde", where it said ''everywhere she looks there are more eyes staring back at her" and it freaked me out a bit because I could see my eyes suddenly in my tablet, whilst reading at that exact moment!

I enjoyed the art work dotted throughout, although sometimes it felt unrelated, although it's reference may have just gone over my head. It was a bit of a shock though as I started this on my lunch break and didn't expect to see a lot of nude art work.

Anyway, unfortunately this wasn't the poetry collection for me. That being said, I don't read a lot of poetry, so someone with more experience my take more away from this collection than I could.

I give In the Dark, Soft Earth by Frank Watson 3 stars for its dreamlike imagery and open lyric style. As one who enjoys classical themes in contemporary poetry, I appreciated Mr. Watson’s connection to romantic and eternal subjects in his many earthbound poems, and his examination of antique to medieval characters in Book Eight’s tarot-inspired poems. This was my first encounter with Watson’s writing and I found it very accessible for those new to contemporary poetry, drawing on familiar experiences and with the occasional rhyming phrase. However, as I worked my way through the entire collection, I felt the tone and tempo became somewhat repetitive. I would begin a new book within the book hoping to be surprised by a different rhythm and pattern of expression, but encountered more of the same. Overall, it was a calming, pleasant read and would be a good first step into poetry for someone not interested in a provocative challenge.

My thanks to #NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

In The Dark Soft Earth by Frank Watson
This is a book of poetry, and it's a great short read for those that enjoy it. It was released april 30th of this year.
Its 10 chapters or books as they're called of poems and short stories. Each book has a theme. It truly pulls you in especially if you enjoy poetry.
Pros: easy read, good flow, not long, gentle pace, the themes are great too.
Cons: only one real type of poetry was used, but it's still a great read.

This poetry collection is a breath of fresh air when it comes to this genre. The poems related to nature are simply splendid. The illustrations throughout the book give it a nice touch. Rating: 4/5 stars.

In the Dark, Soft Earth is a moody poetry collection from Frank Watson. The emotive poems are juxtaposed with gorgeous artwork or various styles and touch on topics such as love, nature, and spirituality. The tone of the poems are largely heavy and haunting, but there is a lot of beauty within the verses. I especially love the section inspired by the Tarot's Major Arcana.

Many thanks to Plum White Press and NetGalley for the advance copy.

**I received a complimentary copy of 'In the Dark, Soft Earth' from NetGalley and Plum White Press, in exchange for an honest review**

In the Dark, Soft Earth was a lovely collection of poetry. Frank Watson manages to create thoughtful imagery with his phrases, centering on life's precious moments. The chapters (labeled as Books), categorizes the purity and essence of the human spirit. Watson's poetry manages to capture raw emotions such as desire, longing and frustration. These are human emotions that everyone endures throughout life, and his poetry reflects such a vast array of feelings.

Along with reading stories, poetry is my usual go-to when guiding people people through their situations. A poem paints a picture of a given emotion and thought process. I feel that Watson's work provides such a selection of prescriptive imagery in helping people identify with their experiences. I would definitely recommend In a Dark, Soft Earth to those searching to assist people through the written word!

I felt the words the author put on paper. It’s beautiful. Very real and relatable. I guess this is the power of poetry. I do wish to be more inspired instead of reminiscing the old days.

Poetry is always a hit or miss because it is such a personal experience, unfortunately this one was a miss for me. I thought the wording was very pretty but I didn't get to feel any emotional connection.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending this eARC in exchange for an honest review
Although not a huge fan of poetry I am trying to expand my reading tastes and decided to try this author. I read it through all together and then over the past few days I have reread the poems taking more time to try to understand them. My favourite was Book a Eight but I also enjoyed and resonated with Choice and Prison of Dreams
I thought that this book was good for someone like me who had little experience in reading poetry and I am now looking for my next collection to read.
I think that I will return to this one more than once as my knowledge expands and I will have and see different messages in them.

The description of this book of poetry sounded great. But after reading only two or three of these very short poems I discovered what I'd gotten myself into: bad writing.

Good poetry is transcendent. It gives you chills. But there was not a single poem among the dozens here that made me feel anything. They seem like something you'd write if someone came up to you and gave you 5 minutes to write a poem.

Side note--there are lots of pictures of works of art which almost entirely consist of paintings of topless women until you get to the tarot card section. More breasts than you can shake a stick at.

I got my copy free from NetGalley.

As someone who doesn't read much poetry, I loved this. The imaginative approach, the pictures, are beautiful. I was thankful that the words weren't too heavy and complex. It was easy and free verse. It consists of 10 books(sections). I did felt it was a bit too long but overall it was great.

These verses are lush and bewitching. I was absolutely swept away by the vivid imagery Watson used in every line.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

This was an interesting collection of poetry and art. I appreciated the visual imagery which complemented the poetry.

Watson’s collection seizes one’s senses. Much of the poetry takes an imagist approach, using free verse poems with spare language to generate vivid, concrete images in the mind. That said, there are a number of poetic styles that appear throughout, including: haiku, tanka, sonnets (in Book X), and various lyrical variations. While natural imagery features prominently, there’s also surrealist, ethereal visuals in play as well.

The poems are arranged into ten sections, and while each book has an overarching theme there are themes that seem to cut across books. The titular notion of something buried is one of these. Another such concept is the journey.

The second section generates an expansive feeling of space as well as time. Book III intrigued me as it focused on organization, assembly, and the creation of something out of pieces and parts – which created a unique feel. Books IV and V shifted focus to hearing rather than seeing, though it largely did so by invoking the action of music creation and dance.

The book presents paintings from the fifteenth century through to the present-day throughout the book. Many of these artworks begin various sections of the collection and give one a flash of insight into the theme that will play out through that section. However, there are numerous poems that are presented as homages to paintings – notably, the whole of book VIII is poems based on tarot card imagery and subject matter.

While the majority of the paintings referenced have Western origins, one also sees Eastern influences at various points in the collection – both in the poems and in some of the paintings. Asian influences are most explicitly experienced in Book IX, which features several poems of Chinese or Japanese inspiration. The last section presents a few sonnets amid free verse poems.

I enjoyed this collection and would highly recommend it for poetry readers or those who love the visual arts, particularly those curious to see how a poet creates another dimension of experience in the realm of visceral sensation.

The exclusive quiet of the morning, the jumpstart feeling you get when you wake up early in the morning before the world has started.
The paintings transfer you to a softer world of water, leaves and nature over all. But with words you fathom the depths of it too.

Sun sailor
Do sun sailors
not use the stars
and the wind?

Very accessible poetry. The kind that will make you look for the eternity in the ordinary,

"she slides her problems into their
compartments but still they get
all tangled up"
.
I'm an occasional poetry reader. But the themes from this poems really caught my attention and I decided to give it a try.
And it was mostly good. How it deals with love, and how it refers to nature. The way it spokes about true freedom. The rythm and musicality. It was very well done, and overall enjoyable.
I really like how the author paired some of the poems with famous pictures and paintings, I think it added some clarification and dept to the words.
It's better read slowly, processing the different "books" or chapters on their own and in the whole.
.
"in the dark
caverns of desire
the lust of her touch has wrapped me in a fire"

“Burnt like embers, burnt like the sea- alone in time, and dead to me”

Such a descriptive read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

These are poems written to images that resonate with myth and mystery. The poems are hypnotic, dream-like, they enter the world of trance and tarot. Read them with a candle burning. Read them to connect with what is eerie, as a door into a spell or a seance. They are spare, but there are many of them. They evoke feelings, memories, emotions. Do not let their simplicity fool you into thinking that they are simple. They are doors to whatever the night holds, its power, and magic. I find them alluring. They teach me how to hear the wild, forbidden parts of me.

In the Dark, Soft Earth
Poetry of Love, Nature, Spirituality, and Dreams
by Frank Watson

Plum White Press LLC
Plum White Press
Literary Fiction | Poetry
Pub Date 07 Jul 2020


I am reviewing a copy of In the Dark, Soft Earth through Plum White Press and Netgalley:





Due to the subject matters in this collection of poetry, I would not recommend this to readers under the age of sixteen.


In this collection of poetry, you will find yourself digging into poetry that deals with the dark, the sultry and you will find yourself ruminating the searing to the sultry as you absorb this haunting lilt of burning carnality. The poems ignite rapid and surprising shifts in focus and perspective as they twist and turn your preconceptions, allowing the implications to linger in your thoughts.



The vignette verses in this book include workings of love, , nature, and spirituality, as well with dreams with sprinklings of tarot symbolism and jazzy blues. Together these the Dark, Soft Earth

I give In the Dark, Soft Earth, four out of five stars!


Happy Reading!