Book Review| My Garden Of Verse

 My Garden of Verse by Henry Beer is the subject of this post.

I found this book of poems at a flea market a few years ago. I had no inkling that it was such a wholesome (God fearing) poem collection. I noticed it on a shelf and had for sometime felt that poetry was lacking in my life. I briefly flipped through the pages. I saw that most of the poems had a garden/nature theme. While I didn't think there would be any deep thought provoking poems, I thought that, at least, it would not have poems with  objectionable subjects. On that basis I bought it.

I had no idea what a treasure I had found!

My Garden of Verse by Henry Beer was published by WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company in 1945. The book is broken up into 5 chapters; Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and In Memoriam and contains 162 poems in total. My copy is a third edition from 1960. (I did contact the publisher to ask permission to copy these poems to my blog. I was told that these poems are in the public domain now.)

The poems in this book have a special place in my heart because they bring to recall the places of my childhood that I hold dear. Particularly, the things of the woodlands; the plants, and flowers, and trees that I learned as a girl. The seasons and constant pace of nature that are so familiar and comforting are highlighted in Henry Beer's works. Sprinkled throughout the chapters is a poem for each month of the year.

The really neat thing about the month poems is that Henry Beer was from Indiana (I am, too) and so all the flowers and trees and wildlife mentioned in each month corresponds perfectly with the seasons where I am from and as I have experienced them. I don't know if you know what I mean, but sometimes what blooms, for example: in March, is different depending on where you are on the continent. Writers from these various places have a variety of experiences of when the snow melts or when the sap flows, etc.... And these experiences make their way into their writings. I think it is so cool that everything in Henry Beer's poems, as far as woodland life, is exactly as I know it to be.

The other thing that I love about these poems are the spiritual truths. In every poem Henry Beer uses creation to point to the Creator. There are many uplifting and edifying thoughts that really anchor the readers mind on heavenly things. There are poems that tell redemptions story, exalt Jesus, and call the believer to greater love and service. These poems are quite encouraging and contemplative.

I did some searching online to see if a could find more information about Henry Beer. I wanted to know who he was. Through his poems I had gathered that he was some kind of Christian and that he had a son named Marcus that had died in his youth. There wasn't any information about Henry Beer online. I thought that was unfortunate. His works deserve to be more widely known, in my opinion.

I shared some of these poems with friends who happen to be part of the *Apostolic Christian faith tradition. I was shocked to learn that my friends knew of Henry Beer. He had been a minister in their denomination and even written some hymns that they sing in their church. It's a small world!

You can order a copy of Henry Beer's My Garden Of Verse from Apostolic Christian Bookstore .org.

 I will finish this post with the forward from My Garden Of Verse, which is a poem. :-)

Forward
The gate to my garden is open!
In this garden of verse you will find
Many writings, all varied in nature,
With the noblest of virtues entwined.

Come out to the fields and the gardens

While the birds sing at break of day.

Here the trees and the fields and the forests

Have a message of truth to convey.

The charm of each season and splendor

Will here to your vision unfold;

The glory of spring and of autumn,

The time when the season grows cold.

Fond memories of home and of childhood,

With friendships endearing and true,

The problems we face in life's pathway

In verse are recorded for you.

May the seeds I have sown in my garden

Spring forth and bring cheer to your heart.

May they help you when careworn and weary,

And a message of solace impart.

Come browse through my garden of verses,

There the Master will speak to your soul.

You will see by the beauty of nature

Many reasons His name to extol.

*Some of my readers may not be familiar with the Apostolic Christian faith, so I have added this asterisk to provide some context. The Apostolic Christian Church is one of the many branches that came from the Anabaptist movement of the 1500's. Around here (where I live) people generally shorten Apostolic Christian to AC. In everyday speech it sounds like, "I know that family: they are AC's." Or "The AC church runs the nursing home in town." Or "The AC choir sounds like heaven!" Etc....  Some AC congregations are very conservative in their dress standards, with women wearing head covering, dresses, and keeping their hair in a bun, and the men being clean shaven and wearing white shirts and black ties to meeting. I will sometimes be taken for an AC when I am out and about because my style fits all the AC distinctives.