Review – Heartbeats in Ink by Denise Alicea

Denise Alicea’s Heartbeats in Ink opens with a quote from the great Romantic poet, Lord Byron: “Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey.” And much like the esteemed Byron, Alicea’s poems focus on passion and love. The thirty-three poems in this collection are inspired by the Romantic poets and many feel as though they could have been written during that wonderful period of British literature.

But it’s not all about romantic love. Several of these verses focus on relatable themes like hope, self-love, happiness, and making the most of ones life. There’s even a lovely piece titled, Moonlit Paws that pays homage to the love of a feline. 

The love poems, however, are the focus of this collection, and they are filled with passion and candor. Whether Alicea is writing about her own feelings or simply interpreting love as a painter interprets a landscape isn’t clear, but her words still convey the depth of emotion one expects from a person deeply in love.

One of the things that I noticed when reading these pieces is that they straddle the line between older verse and modern poetry. What I mean is that there is an obvious influence from the Romantics, the metaphors used, the wordplay, the idolization of love. But at the same time, the poems don’t feel antiquated. It’s a fine balancing act that Alicea does well, paying homage to her poetic forebears while also keeping the words fresh for the reader.

My one caveat is that the poems in this collection should be read a few at a time. Partly to allow them to sink in and be appreciated. Also, they can seem a bit repetitive. The main rhyme scheme is an AABB couplet, which after a few pages began to stand out. However, I simply set the collection aside and picked up where I left off the next day. 

Heartbeats in Ink is a lovely collection of verse and I think any poetry lover, especially those with a romantic bent, will appreciate and enjoy these poems.

Note: This review was originally posted at Reader Views.

Check out more of book reviews and recommendations on my Reading List page.

RB