This inspiring book of poetry takes the reader through one woman''''s struggle with manic
depression and her ability to transcend
the pain and emotional turmoil the mood disorder renders. The book opens with the poet''''s stance on poetry itself in "Freedom For the Words" where she states, "Whatever drips down is what I say--." Her last poem, "Just Words," reiterates her approach to poetry. Rolling Waters does not conform to traditional writing standards, which makes her poems so honest and real to the reader. The book follows with a set of poems that are rather dark, such as "Of Madness," "Can''''t Find My Way Home," "Down on My Knees," and "Help." In the midst of much despair, the
imagery of Waters poems is powerful. In both her "dark" and "light" poems, she uses a lot of imagery from nature to describe feeling states. For example, in "Can''''t Find My Way Home," Waters expresses, "Tripping and falling/ Over snowflakes/ I merge with the nighttime sky;" In her transition from darkness, she writes the poem, "Red Roses." It opens, "I felt a gust of wind/Sailing through the air/ And reaching out its arms/It enveloped me right there." Her latter poems are a recognition of her new perspectives on life that are filled with hope and promise. Especially noteworthy are, "This is Life," and "A Blessed One." I would recommend this book not just to people struggling with manic
depression, but people who understand the human condition, with all its ups and downs.