contemporary poetry – My Bodacious Blog

New Reviews for Eden Redefined by Christine Bode

April is National Poetry Month, and I would be remiss if I didn’t share some recent reviews for my latest book of poetry, Eden Redefined. I’m finally receiving reviews from those who have taken the time to read my book and leave me five-star reviews on Amazon. I must say, it feels good.

For just a moment last week, Eden Redefined reached the Top 100 in the Kindle Store for Canadian Poetry and Contemporary Poetry, coming in at #62 and #67, respectively. To see my book in the same group as poetry by Leonard Cohen and Mary Oliver was a rush! I hope to see it reach even higher in the future, and I can with your help. So if you purchased a copy of Eden Redefined and haven’t yet left a review on Amazon, please do, as it means the world to me, and it could help my book become a best seller.

New Reviews for Eden Redefined

“If you’re looking for a book that tackles life’s most complex emotions and experiences with raw honesty, then Eden Redefined by Christine Bode is the book for you.” ~ Brett G.

“We all have our dark times as life is an unsolvable riddle for most. This collection is down to earth, and I feel anyone can relate to the ups and downs life offers up to us all. We all need to be grateful for what we do have and be kind to others, such as the author, because we all face demons, but together we can lift each other’s spirits.” ~ Patrick McKenna

“The book had a mixture of compassion, humour, and intimacy.” ~ Brock7

“If you’re wondering whether this poetry collection is worth reading, please give me a moment to shout from the rooftops, YES!

This isn’t just a book of poetry; it’s an experience.

Somewhere between laughter and crying while reading this, my heart broke and mended and was fortified by the message within these pages. Christine has an extraordinary way with words and paints vivid pictures in your mind. I couldn’t put the book down.” ~ Whitney Aumack

“Christine Bode has eloquently put herself out there for all the world to see in this raw, emotional collection of poems and prose. We need more people like her, who are not afraid to be human, showing our weaknesses. As I read the poetry, I could see Christine learning life lessons that have helped her to become the strong, independent woman she is today. Congratulations on a job well done!” ~ Lynn Rae

Here are some terrific poetry collections that I’ve read recently:

EROica by William F. DeVault

To Daughter a Devil by Mary Megan Moore

Multifarious Dimensions of Meh by Eric Montgomery

Confessions Under Cratered Moons: Poetry of Cosmic Chaos by Whitney Aumack

Please share the best poetry you’ve read recently with me in the comments. I’m always looking for exciting new work.

Happy National Poetry Month!

“The Closest Soul to God” by Christine Bode

Poetry

Today, on National Pet Day, I think of all my dogs: Benji, the chocolate Spoodle; Geldof, the black and white Jack Russell Terrier/Springer Spaniel cross; Scully, my first blonde Goldendoodle; and Eloise, the blonde Goldendoodle who lives with me now.

This poem was written about Scully when I was going through the most difficult time of my life. The gratitude I have for her and all of my pets is eternal. They are the closest souls to God I’ll ever know.

The Closest Soul to God

A poem by ©Christine Bode, 2014

It’s the last month of my sister’s life,
and I know it.
Tonight, I cried so hard I couldn’t see, and
I couldn’t breathe.
I cried until the tears streamed down my face and
I choked on my snot.
I cried until the grief in my chest threatened to
inflate me to the most enormous mass of human pain in the
history of the Universe while I begged and pleaded
with God
to send someone to just hold me—
but no one came.
No one was ever there in the early part of the morning,
and no one was there late at night.
No man ever put his arms around me, even once,
in the last six months and told me he’d be there for me
if I needed him because my sister is dying.
Not one single man among all the men I’ve ever known in
my entire life.

The only being who was there for me every single day of
these twenty-five months of torture is my dog, and she
has borne the weight of my grief, loneliness, and woe,
without complaint or fail or falter.
She lies beside me every night and lets me touch her
and listen to her breathing until I can fall asleep,
giving me the strength I need to face the next day.
She proves that the purpose of every dog in the world is
to teach human beings about the value, strength, and power
of unconditional love.
So, the next time you’re about to say to me
(or anyone else) that she’s just a dog,
think again,
because she is not just a dog.
She is the closest soul to God I’ll ever know.

Read more poetry by Christine Bode in her latest collection, Eden Redefined.

Eden Redefined is available on:

Amazon (Paperback) CDN $9.99: https://amzn.to/3T6vbZf

Amazon (Kindle) CDN $2.99: https://amzn.to/3gWMFtH

“Diamonds” by Christine Bode

Poetry

Diamonds

A poem by ©Christine Bode, 2023
(for my parents, Marilyn and Jurgen Bode, for their 60th wedding anniversary – April 6, 2023)

Wish I could give you diamonds
Another winter in Arizona
A worry-free retirement
Or a stellar trip to Roma

Wish I could pay for premium healthcare
Put luxury groceries on your table
Give you the Easter that you want
But unfortunately, I’m not able

Sixty years of wedlock is no small feat
Enduring more pain than most can beat
You couldn’t have known in 1963
The state of your union was a fait accompli

Wish I could give you diamonds
for your sixtieth anniversary
Or make a deal with doctors
To take your place in surgery

Wish I could resurrect Karen
So our family would be whole again
But that’s obviously not a part
Of your Creator’s divine plan

The love you share with each other
Saw you through good times and bad
And you never once complained
About what you didn’t have

Wish I could give you diamonds
Smoked oysters and their pearls
Sunshine and warmth every day
Victory flags to unfurl

Wish I could be the best of you
Throughout the thick and thin
But I’m afraid the mould was broken
By the plenitude of my sins

Your devotion sparkles like sunlight
On the river where you used to live
Your example of strength and resilience
Is not something I’ll relive

Wish I could give you diamonds
Frankincense and myrrh
And lavish you with the life
You most assuredly deserve

Wish I could give you everything
You don’t already have
But I know you’d have a hard time
Thinking of something else to add

You taught me very well
There’s only so much we can do
So I give you gratitude and love
From a heart that’s always true

“The Glorious Sun” by Christine Bode

Poetry

The Glorious Sun

Ahh, the glorious sun!
From the land of lucid dreaming
I wake,
stretch,
throw off the covers and
greet my dog
who lies beneath me beside the bed.

Drawing the curtains,
I welcome a new day,
always more cherished when the sun is glorious
shining through the cloudy thoughts of
mistakes I’ve made.
The wrong men I’ve given my heart to,
how stuck I feel in this life—lost more than found,
and how much I miss my sister.

Waking thoughts that are as reliable
as the chubby squirrels
who continue to forage for food
on the pathway behind the
Bowling Greens,
those all-weather rodents who
just go on with their lives
and never let the weather
get them down.

When the sun shines in winter, it casts its rays of hope,
offering strength for perseverance, motivation,
to endure another dark night of the soul.
So, I’ll be here to bear witness
to the perfect beauty of the lavender crocus
as she peeks through the cold, hard ground
with her saffron eye and turns her face
towards that glorious sun,
a symbol of courage
as we both face a new day.

Happy World Poetry Day! Read this poem and more by Christine Bode in her latest collection, Eden Redefined.

Eden Redefined is available on:

Amazon (Paperback) CDN $9.99: https://amzn.to/3T6vbZf

Amazon (Kindle) CDN $2.99: https://amzn.to/3gWMFtH