POEMS OF LOVE AND LOSS - A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS BY MULTI-AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR SHERRILL S CANNON

Have you ever loved, been loved, been confused about love, or suffered from loss of love? All these feelings have been captured and shared in the words of heartfelt poems, compiled over many years by a former teacher and award-winning author.
Sherrill S. Cannon now shares her thoughts in this book of feelings. "As a teacher, I used poetry to help counsel many troubled teens and friends, and have continued this pattern throughout the years."
There are three sections in her book: Heads, Spinning, and Tails ... (Love & Loss: Coin Toss?). The variety of lyrical poetry forms include free verse, blank verse, haiku, and sonnets. Some poems are simply plays on words.
A Sign
In the depths of my winter
I heard a small bird -
Braving the cold,
Bringing the word.
He gave my heart hope
As I heard him sing -
Three little notes
Promising spring.
Sherrill S. Cannon, a former teacher and grandmother of 10, is the author of nine acclaimed rhymed children's stories that have received 48 national and international book awards between 2011 and 2017. Also a playwright with seven published plays for elementary school children, her works have been performed internationally in over 20 countries. Most of her children's books try to teach something, such as good manners and caring for others. Married for 57 years, she and her spouse are now retired, live in Pennsylvania, and travel in their RV from coast to coast, spending time with their children and grandchildren.

A Penny For Your Thoughts: Poems of Love and Loss (Feelings Into Words)
by Sherrill S. Cannon - Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Co.
book review by Michael Radon - The US Review of Books
"For if I knew ahead of time, then I
Would live my life according to its end;
And never give the present, time to try"
This collection of poetry examines love, as so much poetry tends to do, but the perspective here is unique. That romantic euphoria and devastating heartbreak are seen as two sides of the same emotion. Split up into three sections, the first and third are polar in their approach, either bubbling with affection or profound in examining what was lost or what was never had to begin with. The middle section offers a little bit of both, tying in experiences that are related to being in love or emotions that come along with a relationship or marriage. The poems themselves also cover a variety of forms, ranging from free verse to sonnets and concrete poetry to haiku. Containing over 100 poems, the poet's musings on an aspect of life that tends to be powerful no matter how it's experienced will emotionally reach readers of all ages.
This volume is singular in its focus but powerfully broad in its approach and form. By taking just the idea of love and then presenting it from both a positive and negative perspective, or by applying different poetic constructs to it, the results end up significantly varied and stay fresh. Most poems occupy a single page with only the longer forms stretching to a second, and so readers are encouraged to enjoy at whatever pace suits them best. Love's prominence as a subject for poetry owes to both the strength at which it is experienced as well as the universality of it, as everyone experiences it in various ways. The author's ability to look at it and present it in so many different ways speaks to her skill as a poet and her deep understanding of the emotional spectrum.
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This review was written by a professional book reviewer with no guarantee that it would receive a positive rating...The US Review of Books is dedicated to providing fair and honest coverage to all books.

 A MUST READ: STORIES AND EMOTIONS FLOW THROUGH EACH VERSE.

In years past, poetry was written and enjoyed by many, today there is the idea, including among some professors, (who I have heard say, they don’t understand poetry.) That insinuates that a good or great poem is something that is indecipherable to most.
I am not one of them, as with great poets, such as Maya Angelou, Robert Stevenson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, there is a story in the poems, a sense of place and emotion flowing through the verses. ‘A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS,’ by Sherrill S. Cannon is one such book.
It is rich in emotion, stories flow through the verses, and tales of love and loss are ripe within its pages. It is a glorious book that should be savored from start to finish and this reader feels that one would have to be devoid of life experience not to find many in this book that do not strike a cord deep inside of them.
Ms. Cannon’s poetry takes on the issues of grief, dying, being the object of idolatry, as, in her poem Pedestal, love, loss, and letting go. A magnificent journey through life.
A few of those that struck a deep chord in me was ‘Pedestals,’ That tells us the tale of someone who is stuck upon a pedestal and cannot become truly human for fear of losing their love. ‘The Real Me,’ that speaks of the little part of oneself that is seldom if ever shown to anyone. ‘To See The Future,’ shows us all that we might lose if we could see the future. For we would no longer be living in the present, the joy, sorrow, love, grief, beauty, and glory of life would be forever shaded with the knowledge of what’s to come. ‘Does Memory Last,’ a question each of us may ponder, when we lose a loved one or are facing death. ‘Old Woman,’ is a poignant look at the young woman that exists in all, under the veil of wrinkles and aging.
There were so many poems in this book that touched cords deeply within me, as to bring smiles to my lips, joy to my heart, thoughtfulness to my mind and grief inside of me.
A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS is an astoundingly, wonderous trip through the thoughts, life, and emotions we all go through in life.
In the pages of this book, everyone will find something that will help them grow or understand themselves better. I highly recommend it.

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