Sipping Tea & Bullfrog Songs By Baidha Dominique Fercoq

“Sipping Tea & Bullfrog Songs”

... and other sightings of the Wind Rose

A Prose & Poetry Collection

By Baidha Dominique Fercoq

118 pages

ISBN: 978-81-8253-722-4

Cyberwit

www.cyberwit.net

Copyright 2020

Review by LB Sedlacek

There are 9 sections in this recent poetry collection by Fercoq.  The book is a mixture of prose and poems.  The prose and poetry compliment each other and often flow from one to the other in a seamless fluid presentation. 

The prose almost seems like an introduction to the poem following.  But each is strong enough to stand alone, and reads quite well independently. 

The prose is fresh and compelling.  The poems are gentle and full of life.  It’s quite a feat to be able to write both prose and poems, but to also weave them together is somewhat extraordinary and certainly a refreshing change to the traditional presentation in a poetry book.

“There are stories held quietly between walls, scents lingering long / after flowers have bloomed.”  Lines like these (from page 24) give you an idea of what’s to be found on the pages in Fercoq’s book.  This piece of prose is followed by a poem entitled “Stories from a Mountain Cabin Wall.”  It opens with these lines:  “The cushion of summer grass / beguiles my perception’s prism.”  Imagine walking in a meadow in a grassy field, maybe being overcome by a rainbow and then continue the journey into this visual wonder of a poem.

Fercoq appears to be an accomplished poet.  He skillfully leads the way into a spectacular imaginative experience with each piece of prose and each poem that joins it.

From page 63:  “Fleeting treasure hunts fill many lives, and they manifest in different ways.”  This is the opening prose line on this page before the poem “Sweetest Berry.”  There’s much more to this poem than a bird trying to gather a berry to give to its baby chick. 

From the poem “Dried Husk”

“Dried fruited soul

your husk rustles in the wind

as scavenging wildlife pluck your remnants

their sustenance in frigid winter’s lair.”

The prose prior to this poem talks about us being part of life’s cycle.  And also it talks of how the flight of love, hope, joy, and despair brings us to our final end.  Poets are natural observers and also naturals at comparisons.  Taking an image such as a dried husk and comparing it to living life until it becomes final shows that Fercoq is a skillful poet. 

            From page 88:  “Who has never stopped in a field to look for a four-leaf clover?”  And who has never stopped to read a poem, or a book of poetry?  If you are new to poetry, this book is a great place to start.  If you are a poetry fan, then this book is one to add to your to be read list. 

            Fercoq presents a compelling book of verses and prose.  The words practically fall off the page into your heart and soul.

~LB Sedlacek is the author of the poetry collections “I’m No ROBOT,” “Words and Bones,” “Simultaneous Submissions,” “Swim,” “The Adventures of Stick People on Cars,” “Happy Little Clouds,” and “The Poet Next Door.”  Her first poem novel is “The Blue Eyed Side” and her first short story collection is entitled “Four Thieves of Vinegar & Other Short Stories.”  Her mystery novel “The Glass River” was nominated for the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award.  She writes poetry reviews for “The Poetry Market Ezine” www.thepoetrymarket.com  You can find out more about her at www.lbsedlacek.com