IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO LOVE SOMEONE
If you’re in the mood for some romantic poetry, Haven: Love Poems by Kevin Patrick Sullivan and Patti Sullivan is a fantastic choice. It’ll go perfectly with a cozy night by the fire, and some beverages that fit your lifestyle. This book’s filled with poetry showing love at the later stages of life, which should be an inspiration to us all because these poems will help you realize love’s waiting for you somewhere; you simply have to be open to letting it in. One of the best examples is on page 4; the poem “Not Looking” shows the poet who’s “alone again, not looking for love,” and since this is the opening line, the rest of the poem takes you through the poet’s journey depicting how he or she fell in love at a poetry reading by simply listening to another poet’s voice. Whether it’s the poet’s actual voice, writing voice, or both, by the end, the poetry reveals this voice was the catalyst for their relationship. I’m not sure if this is the literal way they became a couple, but it definitely sounds romantic and poignant to make the poem’s narrator a widow, and it proves Patti and Kevin make a fantastic team when writing love poetry about being in love during the later stages of life.
The poems in here seem to chronicle the start of their relationship and each step afterwards, showing how it grew to the point they could fill a book with only their love poems. In addition, the abstract art by Mrs. Sullivan seems to capture the mood and tone of the poems, as well; I’m not an art expert, but the art feels like it’s abstract, so interpretation of the art is subjective, and, as a result, could appeal to a vast majority since it can be interpreted as you’d like. The art also adds a layer of depth I didn’t expect because poems are rather abstract as well, so the relationship between the poetry and artwork shares an authentic quality I found enjoyable.
For my in-depth book review, I won’t be going into so much detail that I spoil the reading experience. Therefore, I broke this down to one poem and one image to show how they work together to enhance the reader’s experience. The poem I chose can be found on page 22, and it’s called “Night.” This poem shows the love and romance, symbolizing the theme of the book, and it also has art next to it, so it’s the best example of how these accentuate each other to increase their overall effect.
SETTING THE TONE
The central theme of this book of poetry is love’s ability to bring two people closer than ever, and “Night” is one of several poems capturing this sentiment. This one stuck out to me because it also has an image next to it, making it a great sample showing how Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan use poetry and art to enhance both simultaneously. The first line of this poem, “My love and I,” leaves no doubt it’s about two people in love, and by leaving out gender specific language, the poem is accessible to anyone who can feel the sensation of love. Being that the emotion of love is one of the most universal feelings a human can have, the next line, “wrapped inside evening’s soft mist,” uses the idea of sleeping to open up the reader’s mind to the notion that the weather could be coastal which creates a soft mist for everyone to sleep comfortably. Then the poem shows their “heart song lifted” after being wrapped in this mystical soft mist; you may be thinking the mist is metaphorical, and it might well be, but if you read the poets’ about section on pages 62 and 63, it seems to me that they may be describing a night in San Luis Obispo, which is where they live; Mr. Sullivan is also connected to this city, since he’s been Poet Laureate Emeritus of San Luis Obispo since 2003. Therefore, it makes total sense because the coast’s mist at night is part of the experience of living in one of the most beautiful and tranquil coastal cities in the world.
WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE OUR NIGHTS
By line 4, the heart song seems to become literal; it’s as if it’s an actual being living on the beach, needing to be “carried into its shell.” The notion of the heart song needing to be placed into its shell reminds me of creatures that live in abandoned shells along the shore to protect themselves through the night; this is also the peak of the beach vibe given off by the poem. The next line, “held there,” works to keep your mind inside the shell also, and by being the first two-word line, it calls attention to itself. So, when you read the next and last two lines, “to meet / the morning,” you’re propelled back into the reality of the first two lines that set up the poem’s theme, and you now understand their heart song is so special, it waits until the morning to continue its harmony. However, the poetic brilliance shines at this point since days are cyclical, so you’ll also realize their romanticized nights continue indefinitely.
ABSTRACT PURPOSE
Now that you’re done reading the poem, the authors of this book of love poetry place Mrs. Sullivan’s art on the next page, so, as a reader, I can’t help but think this is on purpose. The image has the colors pink and red as the primary colors, which remind me of love and Valentine’s Day. Next, you’ll notice black is the third most prominent color, and that conjures up the thought of death because love dies too. Another interesting aspect of the artwork, two of the crescent shapes, perhaps they’re moons, overlap each other as if trying to become one circle or oval. There’re also a couple of taco-esque shells; they look as if one’s gliding into the other, also becoming one. Then you have the brown color in the image; it appears on one of the tacos and as a thick horizontal line underneath the other taco and crescent shape, so the horizontal line could be a shoreline. If this is a shoreline, every shape is suspended in the air like it is depicting the “heart song lifted / carried into its shell / held there / to meet / the morning” (22). In my opinion, the art magnifies the poem, and the poem magnifies the art; this shows the meticulous process the authors used to pick the placement of the art in relation to the poem.
BEFORE WE WATCH THE SUNRISE
The importance of Mrs. Sullivan’s art and Mr. Sullivan’s poetry working with each other to increase each one’s effect is directly shown in Mr. Sullivan’s poem, in section two that’s from their ArtLife Archives, called “Viewing My Wife’s Art.” In this poem, Kevin alludes to Patti’s art as “the black starry night” which shows she has an abstract style because Starry Night was a moderately abstract landscape painting. I’ve already brought up two extra poems, and it’s difficult to not bring up more of them because there’s so much profound poetry capturing the book’s theme, but I can’t get into it all without spoiling the read and the hard work it took to create this type of poetic effect.
However, I’d like to let you know about some of the honorable mentions I couldn’t break down like “Loves Meditations” on page 33; it is definitely one of the best love poems in here because of its romantic poetry encapsulating the theme of the book. I wanted to analyze the poem, but I wasn’t one hundred percent sure if the art following it was related to it, a segue into section two, or both. The other one I’d like to point out is called “A Prayer At The Thought Of Turning Fifty,” and it’s in section two, page 53. Even though the poem has Patti’s art behind it, the poetry seems to showcase feelings associated with aging. This one touched me because aging is something we all deal with, and it’s not a fun part of life, whether it’s effecting you or a loved one. Additionally, it fits the theme, since finding love later in life could be hampered by the idea of aging beyond an age that is suitable for a love interest. Its ending is beautiful because no matter who we are or what number we’ve attained, we must remember Kevin’s poem’s ending, “let every day and night / every moment / Take my breath away.”
Overall, Haven: Love Poems by Kevin Patrick Sullivan and Patti Sullivan is a collection of fantastic poetry showing the beauty and romance of finding love later in life. It would be a perfect Valentine’s Day or birthday gift to show your love how your relationship can only get better as you grow with one another. It’s also a great gift for someone who loves abstract art. And, of course, if you’re in a relationship with someone who loves poetry and abstract art, then this book’s a must buy.
Thank you for reading our in-depth book review about Haven: Love Poems by Kevin Patrick Sullivan and Patti Sullivan. We are not affiliated with the publisher, but here’s the link to pick up a copy.
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E. R. Sanchez is the author of Fried Potato Press’s first young adult thriller, Petaco Dreams, which will be released in 2025 after the rewrite, new title, and new cover. He also has poems and stories published online and in print. If you’d like to read his work that was published online, please click here to go to his Stories and Poetry Section.