A Poet’s World: The Poetry of Robert John Mestre

A Poet’s World: The Poetry of Robert John Mestre
Robert John Mestre
Lulu Press
ISBN: 1411661168
Poetry
Reviewed by Dr. Tami Brady

A Poet’s World: The Poetry of Robert John Mestre is a compilation of published works by the author written under the pen name of Toshiro Takeshita. The author created this alter ego as a way of illustrating bias and prejudice in the genre through the success of Toshiro Takeshita’s work and the apparent lack of the same material under the name Robert John Mestre.
Personally, I don’t really care about the name of the poet when I read his or her work. I have found that some of the younger fresh faces have amazing talents to move me, make me look deeper within myself, or connect with me on a personal level. On the other hand, I have also been awed by the growth that can be achieved by experience.
I have to say though that the author’s grumblings at the start of the book did put me off a bit. I just wanted to read poetry not get into a political battle. Nonetheless, once I started to read the actual poems, I quickly forgot about my initial concern. These works paint the pictures of contemporary issues while showing a good deal of creativity in the formatting to suit the voice of the various pieces. All are a little dark but are great when you’re feeling a little down.