The Reunion Float

Kevin Shyne’s poetry is a celebration of generosity and grace. I paused often in reading these poems to appreciate the gentle attention to the moment, to the seldom noticed details of our day-to-day lives. Shyne expresses a deep love of language; a book becomes “a house in the woods,” a quiet place where one might hear the rustling of wind and the stillness of the mind. A deep yearning for peace and justice is woven throughout this book. In these troubled times, Shyne stands firm in his faith that we humans can — if we embrace the best in ourselves and each other — create a better world.

—James Janko, author of Love and Catastrophe and What We Don't Talk About

Thank you Kevin Shyne for putting up a huge mirror to our world in The Reunion Float. Shyne gives voice to what many hold within — unspoken — about life, love, loss, family and faith. There may not be rhyme in every poem, but there is always reason… something to listen for and discover. In these gentle, memorable poems, Shyne invites us to cherish the inner voice of poetry.

—Lonny Cain, columnist, radio commentator and retired newspaper executive

Poet-philosopher Kevin Shyne has unwittingly provided a review for his own prismatic collection. As the poem Reading in Bed promises, “the print implores you to explore / this roomy inner space.” Shyne ponders ordinary events — and some not so ordinary — through his unique perspective, acknowledging adversity yet sharing hope. In the title poem, high school alums share a float in a town festival parade, where they “visit, reminisce, mourn and move along.” Whether memories are gains or losses, they are “not erased but overprinted / the underlying goodness left intact.” Each poetic reflection opens a door and invites the reader to enter and stay awhile.

—Paula Morrow, PhD, editor, author, librarian