Journalists can be a pretty soul-less bunch at times, and while   they are great at communicating hard facts they are generally less adept at expressing their feelings and their sensitivities. That's not true of all journalists, of course, and it certainly isn't true of Augustine Sam who has somehow managed to combine a career in mainstream journalism with an equally successful career as a creative writer and poet extraordinaire, picking up awards and accolades left, right and center for his amazing poems. This collection allows us to tap into Augustine's insights on a wide variety of  topics from life and love to death and drudgery - a collection that showcases this journo-poet's  lively, refreshing, and innovative style.

A variety of challenging themes are explored; love, religion, race and mental illness to name a few; yet it is presented so beautifully it is not difficult to read about these issues. These poems are like any good piece of art; shedding like on their subject, but not forcing the viewer to look at it, just allowing it to be seen as it truly is.

At times the poems are structured unorthodoxly in order to better convey their message, the meaning of the poetry literally reshaping what is on the page. They display an ambitious use of language, containing an array of emotions which are communicated brilliantly. The works demonstrate clearly the author's literacy skill and I look forward to any future offerings from them.

I had intended to read these poems less quickly, allowing time to read a few and then contemplate them, however this collection is so mesmerising I found myself reading it in just two sittings. The flow and rhythm of the poetry is enticing and almost addictive. However this is the kind of work you can read over and over again and still find new meaning and I have no fear that I won't have a lot to ponder after reading this, the material in this book is enough to keep your mind occupied and your emotions whirling for a long time after you finish it.

`Butterflies deep under, walking around the heart With the feet of a thousand millipedes'

"Augustine's poems glow with musical invention and the manner in which he elects to place his words on the page enhances the meaning and the beauty of these works... Liquid flowing music from a poet who understands passion. His eloquent poems speak to each of us as private as a whispered conversation. Brilliant." 

Fifty-two poems, intellectual and emotional.

Let me describe some of Sam’s book for you.

As always, google anything you’re not entirely certain of. Sam’s vocabulary is large, as is his geography.

You will find fresh imagery, as in Italian Cemetery, where we find this: “Left ajar, this rusted metal gate, like the heady souls lying beyond, /Would not do obeisance to the wind.” You will find social commentary, for example, in Elegy for the Captive, this: “Critics are the brushers of noblemen’s robes.”

You will find relationships galore here, for example, In Gestures and Allusions, this: “And therein lies the difference, you see /For without sound the unsound mind is dead /But the sound mind is not deaf /To … //The volumes spoken into a single hug /The dialogue unwrapped in a gaze.” After this, in The Eyes of a Beholder, this: “You are smooth /Delicate /Bizarre /And sensual /Like a pretty witch trapped in a suave, evocative work of art.”

If you’re looking for a brilliant longer poem, turn to My Last Chance. If you google carefully, you’ll find out what Mezza-Selva is. For a complex love poem, turn to Passions and Words.

Those scanning for the tiny carps can give up. An occasional page-break misplaced. Not even a typo. In short, nothing. Back to the good stuff.

If you’re looking for a sad love poem, turn to The Greatest Gift. It is autumn in Florence, a repeated refrain that smoothly marches the reader to the gently foreshadowed conclusion. This is a favourite in this collection. If it’s social commentary you’re looking for, you will find it here.

Prejudice tells us the story of Daisy, who normally flitted through life, accidentally getting onto an all-black train to Harlem.

This should give you some idea of the range of these fifty-two poems. I’ve mentioned just seven of them.

Back to the star count. Usually this is the hardest part of a review, deciding on a single number. My personal guidelines, when doing an ‘official’ KBR review, are as follows: five stars means, roughly equal to best in genre. Rarely given. Four stars means, extremely good. Three stars means, definitely recommendable. I am a tough reviewer. Sam’s style may take a bit of getting used to, but that voice produced several favourites in my notes. Five stars it is, and extremely recommended.

Augustine Sam's Flashes of Emotion: A Collections of Poems is romantic poetry that looks into a vast array of subjects: love, pain, death and other life matters that evoke our sentiments. Having read his previous work, Take Back the Memory, a contemporary women’s fiction, I was curious to get to know him as a poet. I wasn't disappointed. His poems are written in a vivid and refreshing style. This makes the collection easy to relate to even by the casual readers of poetry like me. Sam's compilation is pleasurable to read and to reread. 

The book opens with the thought-provoking poems under the segment Lips and Wits. My favorite, however, is A Solitary Observer under the segment Musings. 

I stand in pensive solitude and watch
As life, in its omnipotence, swirls around me
Sucking me into a kaleidoscope of its timeless grace
Dazzling me with contrasting colors

Sam knows how to put across emotions and thoughts, and they resonate from every poem. Personally, the collection as a whole seems to be mostly tinged with a certain somberness or, if I may say, a metaphoric darkness for me. Other readers, however, might have different interpretations. 

In Sam’s own words, this book is definitely “a little anthem to celebrate the human spirit.” For poetry lovers, Flashes of Emotion is certainly a collection of poems that they want to sink their teeth into. The depth of sentiment and reflection explored in each poem is more than enough for anyone to contemplate in a long time.

Masculine, Effective & Pristine

Flashes of Emotion by Augustine Sam is the kind of poetry collection that leaves a poet spread eagle and vulnerable. I feel I know Augustine Sam. It is a singular joy to know an artist through their art. Sam is open and fragile. He is a poet of whom I want to know more. Through the course of the poetry I can say I have seen and come to a fledgeling understanding of the male mysteries and coming from a confirmed feminist, that itself is gracefully high praise. The use of language and allusions to cultural norms is masterful, while his tone plays the chasing dawn of a morning sun we're unwilling to wait and see.Flashes of Emotion affected me. It tugged at my frosted heart and guided me to a sympathetic cognizance of the masculine Dilemma, highlighted more now with the rise of global movements empowering the female. Where are the men in all this? Tumbled, left like the Speaker is left as a lonesome voyeur while the young, or the coupled or the surreal continue on their way.If I were to criticize the collection, I would say some of the poems feel a bit oxymoronic, with a few of the lines less balanced than others. A few of the poems were forgettable as soon as halfway through, but those poems Augustine Sam rocked were outstanding. I recommend Flashes of Emotion to every poetry lover who wants love songs and outside angles from a tender, elder masculine perspective.It's very much worth the read.