Breadcrumbs on a Koi Pond

A collection of poems and stories

Poetry - General
85 Pages
Reviewed on 07/29/2022
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Kimberlee J Benart for Readers' Favorite

Breadcrumbs on a Koi Pond comprises over fifty items by Donna Stavely. They vary in length from a few lines to a few pages. The words evoke scenes, colors, relationships, and emotions. The mood varies from contemplative to reflective, romantic, philosophical, or witty. There are down-to-earth images like lawn sprinklers, a feral cat, or a con artist. Others have a softness to them in the appreciation of gardens, bees, sunsets, and growing things. Still others delve into human relationships and emotions. The title is a line in a poem about a couple relaxing on a back patio at sunset after one asks the other how things went, and the reply, “Like breadcrumbs on a koi pond,” makes them both laugh.

In Breadcrumbs on a Koi Pond, Donna Stavely gives us a wonderful collection of poems and stories. The words evoke images, thoughts, and emotions as the reader encounters them. I found them very relatable. I may never know what event it was that resembled the frenzy of fish grasping at breadcrumbs, but I won’t forget that image. Sunday Mornings gave me a chuckle with how close it came to my own life with its last line, “Read a little, think a little, take a nap.” And I enjoyed the touches of philosophy throughout such as in A Reminder: “It’s easier to cling to the things/That don’t work/Then reach for the possibility/of what might.” A beautiful collection for any poetry lover's shelf or to gift to others.