Glorious Saturday! And here at the GA News Blog, we like to look back on Saturday's to previous newsletters or anthologies. Today is a review by Birds of a Feather, of a poem by Nickolas James called The Hand that first appeared in the December 2006 newsletter. We hope you enjoy!

 

There is an eminent paradox that most poets at GA have confronted, but few have conquered as triumphantly as Nickolas James. Is there a way of reaching out to people with our truest thoughts and feelings without being destructive? This is the precise intention behind his poetry - to provide an outlet for our sentiment and give introspection from his own experiences. Nick’s poetry is drawn from life itself; a series of recollections turned eloquent.

 

“His Hand”, a poem reflective of the adolescent perception of a father-son relationship, is an ode dedicated to his father - the universality of the message, however, helps his poem transcend to an ever greater scale. During our ‘conversation’, Nick told me, “I wrote it after I had a pretty nasty argument with my dad… and then I sat around and I thought about how insignificant it was in the grand scheme of things.”

 

For this gifted poet, regret seems to be an inspiration. How can such a muse provide a drive to write poems? “I Understand”, a poem portraying his latent understanding of uncontrollable circumstances, answers the question superbly - it is only through years of questioning and remorse that he finally commiserates with and comprehends the true benefits of his father’s decision. His repentance, in turn, is the reason why we can all enjoy this author’s poems.

 

During the interview, Nick mentioned that writing poetry was a “very sporadic process” for him. “Sometimes I feel like I have something to say, something I want to release… and when it hits me like that I find that I can’t concentrate on my chapter stories until I get it off my chest.” Lastly, I asked Nick why he posted his poetry at GA. He said that “I like to share my thoughts and feelings with people, and maybe by posting my poetry I have a way of reaching out to people with my truest thoughts and feelings without being destructive.”

 

It seems like Nickolas James luxuriates in a full understanding of his writing inspiration, something that many older authors still search for.

 

Birdsofafeather

 

 

 

 

 

© 2006 Nickolas James