Leny Ignalaga

This is honestly my first time reading a poetry collection and also a first read among Joseph Spence’s books but this one totally got me hooked! One of my personal favorites from this collection is the poem, “Mothers”. This poem is a good read literally for anyone because it teaches us to appreciate our mothers who, according to Spence, are the “backbones and marshals of the family.” As someone raised and surrounded by the women of the family, I personally and strongly agree with this statement of the author. The collection as a whole is indeed wonderful and unique. They are more than just poems because they are prayers wrapped in poetic beauty – poems that tell stories of people – of faith, happiness, tears, success, failures, and hope. The variation of poetic styles and forms is refreshing. I cannot wait to read more of Joseph Spence’s poems! A must-read!