To paraphrase the poet, the course of true love never runs smoothly, and the selections in this small, sweet volume prove the saying. Witty, wry, sincere, sad, amusing, truthful - poetry pierces the heart in ways prose never can. Through carefully chosen verse and delicate illustrations, Gifts of Love gently touches upon those familiar feelings. "Come to me in my dreams, and then, by day I shall be well again!" Matthew Arnold pleads in "Longing." Edna St. Vincent Millay bemoans her current fate and floral rival in "Hyacinth" - "I am in love with him to whom a hyacinth is dearer Than I shall ever be dear..." - while the ever-sardonic Robert Graves debates "Why have such scores of lovely, gifted girls Married impossible men?" in "A Slice of Wedding Cake." Artist Ferris Cook pairs each of the 40 poems with a painted token that expresses the essence of the words. A watering can comes with May Swenson's "The Birthday Bush." The anonymously authored "Baseball" features a boy's mitt. Johnny-jump-ups blossom alongside Virginia Adair's "The April Lovers." The illustrations serve as simple gifts that further personalize the thoughts of the poet. Combined, they create a little literary gem that will beckon readers back to its pages time and again.
