Adele Pilkington
Onwards and Upwards, 2013, £9.99
Pb 84pp, ISBN 9781907509711
Reviewed by John Caroe, retired General Practitioner

This is a collection of 60 short poems covering a range of everyday spiritual ideas and situations. These poems have evidently been written by Adele Pilkington as a personal expression of her wonder, gratitude and love for her Lord. It takes great courage to share such things.

Poetry springs from the heart, and seeks to speak to the hearts of others. It does not generally pretend to arise primarily from intellectual understanding, yet in communicating its message it may submit to the cerebral discipline of rhyme, meter and language to different degrees. Readers will vary in their particular taste for the range of styles thus available to a writer.

Those who are setting out on their exploration of poetry and the faith may well respond to Adele's clear adherence to the basic tenets of poetry that we all learn. Those who seek to fly higher in the Spirit into the wonders of the spiritual realm with Jesus may find here that the worldly rulebook detracts attention from the journey into those mysteries.

Well done to Adele (and to CMF) for the courage to explore this vital mode of communication and communion that when anointed can speak deeper than many an essay in prose.