Grain

GRAIN: Mystical Poems is a selection of twenty-eight love sonnets and one long contemplation on death and dying that touches the heart directly. It depicts a sense of mysticism that drives the inner soul to find solace in a wholly different world. The poet brings about a beautiful unification of love and death which has a direct impact on the intriguing mind. The moment of death and its aftermath are amazingly portrayed and meticulously crafted so as to make anyone drift away into a world of hope.

A mature poet, Doug Bentley not only demonstrates his ability to merge the strongest of emotions. He also shows the poet's ability to reach out to the dreamer in the present technological age and touch his heart in a very private way. As a poet who believes strongly in the power of mysticism, Doug Bentley has produced this poetry book to reach out to the dreamy soul.

"Grain by Doug Bentley is an erudite, insightful, and provocative poetic journey through the mystical regions of the human psyche. From first word to last, this thought-provoking volume of sonnets and free verse begs to be pondered - to be mulled over and savored like a fine wine. Shakespearean and scientific references inform each of the meticulously crafted sonnets and free verse poems in Grain. Eternal questions are asked but seldom answered - in classic Socratic style, each question leads to another question. From 'Gravity 1' 'one lifetime is a thousand too short/to learn the answers to every question/but instinct has a notion.'

Similarly, each poem flows seamlessly into the next, the end result being a kind of poetic massage for the reader's brain awash in mundane cares. Grain offers the thinking reader a metaphysical vacation - an escape from the ordinary. The pause is both refreshing and enlightening. Each of the ten sonnets strung like pearls in the opening section of Grain combines timeless form with a contemporary delivery that could easily seem anachronistic in the hands of a lesser poet. Doug Bentley's expert craftsmanship blends old and new with a natural fluidity few can achieve. From 'Sonnet 24' 'tragedy struck last night on the tv screen/there's no turning away from this conclusion/wings of the age bring war/a phoenix scream/chills blood. our children inherit confusion.'

It seems they will also inherit a wealth of nimble, eloquent sonnets and free verse poems from a masterful contemporary poet named Doug Bentley. This book has much to teach and a timeless cadence that imbues its wisdom with wonder. To quote William Shakespeare, of whom the author is so nobly fond: "The object of Art is to give life a shape (A Midsummer Night's Dream). Doug Bentley's Grain is an enduring and welcome addition to the literature that will shape worlds to come." -Reviewed by Rich Follett for Readers' Favorite