I've come to appreciate poetry only late in life. I guess I needed to live some life before I could understand anyone writing about it. The poems in Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly written by Raed Anis Al-Jishi, however, helped me to realize just how much life I have lived. I did not read Bleeding Gull. I experienced it. Some people disparage poetry as "just words," the most banal example of which is rhyme in couplets. But poetry is the language of feeling, and good poetry gives you language for the feelings in your own life. It is a vehicle for expressing the inexpressible.

Raed Anis Al-Jishi, a human rights poet who was born and still lives in Qateef, Saudi Arabia (an ancient city known for its poets and poetry), provides just such a vehicle in his book. Viewing life from the vantage point of a seagull, this collection of short poems poignantly expresses the feelings of life's most heart-touching moments. In "Sleepless in Style," for example, the poet reflects, "I wear the angle of the lonely night, And my hand wears a cup of tea." In "The Aroma of Hopes," Al-Jishi writes, "She could see through his smile’s membranes and expose the scent of her broken hopes."

Death, love, autism. Aging, learning, praying. The poems in this book give voice to the breadth of life's experiences, a voice for the soul when the mind is speechless with joy or grief. I wish I had discovered the language of poetry a little earlier in my life. But I am glad I discovered it in time to savor the experience of Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly.

When ordinary words and colloquiums fail, poetry can express a multitude of ideas in a dynamic and powerful way. In Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly by author Raed Anis Al-Jishi, the emotions of everyday life are beautifully and creatively expressed through the exhilarating use of poetry. This collection covers a multitude of topics, from the feeling of learning something new to the grappling sensation of being imprisoned. Raed Anis Al-Jishi does not just describe, but rather immerses the reader into their world: blunt, beautiful and poetic. The author's powerful control over language will take you hand in hand with the experience itself. You will laugh, you will cry, but perhaps the most wonderful thing of all is knowing that you will feel. Overall, it is a beautifully composed portfolio of poems with raw and organic emotion.

Poets have a unique ability of taking the ordinary situations in life and bringing beauty to them through their use of words. Raed Anis Al-Jishi's work titled Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly is no exception, through the author's incredible use of words to visualize a feeling, experience, or memory. My favorite piece in the collection was called 'Jailed but Free', a hauntingly wonderful poem about the divine paradox of jailed liberation. I'm typically not drawn towards poetry, but the author wrote in such a way that anyone - whether a seasoned poet or a lover of books - could understand, love and grow. I was very impressed with the amount of quality and diligence imputed into this book, making it a rare gem.

Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly by Raed Anis Al-Jishi is a collection of soul searching poetry on diverse topics that range from love, life, sadness, autism, motherhood, cancer and many more. The poems capture the emotions of the poet beautifully and they are rich in imagery and feeling. The poet has tried to see big things in mundane and small things and capture them beautifully. From the first poem to the final one, the poems are truly spectacular. Thought-provoking and profound, this poet will leave his mark with his words. All the poems are artistically executed and are delicate and enjoyable to read.

The minimalism in the writing makes the poems more effective. The outward simplicity of the poems and complexity of thoughts at the root leave a lot to be fathomed. The clarity and succinctness in the lines evoke powerful emotions from readers. The subtle sense of loss and longing in the poems make them heart-rending to read. 'Motivation of Death' is a beautiful poem with an intriguing imagery and the economy of words adds more power to the writings. I liked the pacing of the poems and they are fluid.

The pieces are great and well worded, and they strike the right chords in the minds of readers. The poet has perfect control over his words and his perspective of looking at insignificant things in life with more depth and clarity is what makes this collection exhilarating. The harshness of realities in life forms the essence of this collection.

Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly by Raed Anis Al-Jishi is a collection of close to 100 short and beautiful poems about everyday life. Each of the poems touches on a different subject, including love, life, beauty, happiness, sadness and everything in between. Each poem is short but delivers a very distinctive and touching message, designed to give readers a perfect mix of emotions as they read from one page to the next. Each poem is written with a captivating and intriguing title, followed by a flawlessly rhythmic body with simple words that deliver a moving message.

The poems in Bleeding Gull: Look, Feel, Fly are unique, they are beautiful and they are emotional. Each poem will touch your heart in a different way: some will leave you with a smile on your face, some will make you sad, some will make you laugh out loud while others will simply sooth your soul, but one thing is for sure, each of these beautiful poems will touch your heart. It is simply amazing how Raed Anis Al-Jishi used so few words and so simply to give such a deep emotional effect. I don't know how he did it but he pulled it off perfectly. All the poems, irrespective of the topic of interest, give a strong emotional connection and what makes reading this book even more interesting is that each poem leaves you with a different feeling from the previous one. There are poems for all moods and all occasions in this book.