Inspiration Through the Years

Southern Scribe
our culture of storytelling

Poetry Review

Inspiration Through the Years:
A Book of Poetry and Song
by Shannon Denise Stafford
PublishAmerica, 2004
Trade paper, $14.95 (72 pages)
ISBN: 1-4137-4228-9

Shannon Stafford has been writing since she was in the 7th grade. In this collection of fifty-three poems, she expresses strong emotions through the energy of youth and the extreme passions of the heart. As a student majoring in Psychology, Stafford weaves moving verse that causes one to ponder their own existence and cherish those around them.

The book opens with "Devastation" that describes the damage of tornado to a home and family, but alludes to other events that lead to the destruction of a family:

They once were homes filled

With precious memories

Now...they are just piles of

Broken dreams and heartache.

"Angels" addresses the strength of friendship at times of despair:

When you have reached the bottom

And you need a helping hand,

Angels shed the light and

Share the love of a friend.

Among the poems in the collection: "The Gift of Life," "I Am the Heart," "Separate Ways," "50th Anniversary," "Don't Weep for Me," "Feels Like Home," "My Love Won't Let you Fall," "Playing with a Losing Hand," and "Fresh Start."

A native of Alabama, Shannon Stafford is a single mother and college student. She has just scratched the surface of her potential as she continues to put life's journey in verse and prose.

Joyce Dixon
Southern Scribe Reviews