Lyrics of Life in Four-Part Harmony

Lyrics of Life in Four-Part Harmony
Larry Pontius
Aventine Press
ISBN: 1-59330-297-5
Poetry
Reviewed by Dr. Tami Brady

Lyrics of Life in four-part harmony is a multi-faceted compilation of poetry by the author. This book is divided into four sections: Part One: Warm Harbour and Other Places to Hide; Part Two: For the Love of Man; Part Three: Buttermilk Sundays; and Part Four: Other Voices. Each section has a distinctly different set of themes, styles, and voices.
Warm Harbour and Other Places to Hide includes poems written by the author to his first wife. These poems tend to be fairly long in length with a somewhat rigid structure. I felt an overall feeling of alternately trying to impress his wife and a feeling of sadness at not living up to his own dreams.
The works in For the Love of Man were written for the 25th Anniversary celebration of UNICEF. As these pieces were meant to be accompanied by music they tend to be rather rhythmic and melodious. These pieces bring forth serious issues of child poverty, health, and welfare as well as some pieces that are extremely inspirational.
Buttermilk Sundays includes works written by the author for his current wife. These pieces tend to be fairly short and rather playful in nature. Topics in this section are extremely varied but tend to express experiences, lessons learned, and situations of everyday life.
Other Voices contains miscellaneous poems that the author wrote over the years beginning in high school. These pieces range from Popcorn for Breakfast that will leave the reader with a smile through the chilling Yesterday When the World was Warm to the short poignant Nine Eleven.