I was surprised to see a book of published poems by Mike Bond. I'm more familiar with his action-packed mystery novels. I've read and reread his poems. You can tell his passion is strong with the nature and animals.

I thoroughly enjoyed most of his poems and it was refreshing to see Mike write outside of his genre. I look forward to more of his works.



4 stars from me.



I received this ARC from Big City Press through Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review . Thank you!

A refreshing dedication to rhythm and rhyme; a welcome rebutal of opaque poetry. A determination to tell a story, to raise emotion and to push towards a belief in a power within and around. Maybe not to be read from cover to cover - but don't miss a poem; may I meet you there.

I found the introduction insulting, and the poems ranged from 2-star to 4-star. Sometimes the imagery ran to fantastic places, and I paused and thought about what I'd read (e.g. "colors wait like lizards to pounce upon the air."). Sentences that had never been uttered before. At other times, the rhythm and rhyme were a little too pedestrian for my taste.

Mike Bond’s eco-critical poetry collection The Drum that Beats Within Us is a collection of poetry that asks us to look at our environment through the eyes of animals and also asks us to take a close look at our relationship with nature and the city. Furthermore, Bond critiques the state of poetic production and study by challenging the academic ivory tower that complicates and miscommunicates the poetry today.

In the opening of his collection, Bond challenges that poetry is no longer read by the masses. This is something that also resonates with me as a reader and lover poetry. In recent times, contemporary poets like Rupi Kaur and Amanda Lovelace have had a moment in the spotlight, however, in general poetry goes unread, according to Bond, because of poetry professionals “contempt for the wisdom of their audience.” Bond goes further to state that poetry’s “meanings become indecipherable” due to their over analysis in academia. But poetry, as Bond rightfully points out “is a window into ourselves, standing before a mirror to see who we are.” And this is what his latest collection of poetry tries to be.

In many ways, Bonds poetry is a combination of the city and natural pastoral with many poems talking about our connection or lack there of with the land. It is both an exploration of self and nature that critiques and celebrates the ways in which we interact with nature. Poems like “Hungry Magpie” hint at climate change destruction whilst others, like “Every Where” and “Harbour”, question life and existence.

“Crow” is a poem that paints a picture of our world through the eyes of a bird. The crow observes

“the battered earth,

houses sterile

as stones.”

Many of Bonds poems as for a re-connection with ourselves, other humans, and the nature around us.

“The most evil

is to call one

the other.”
(from “Most Evil Thing”)

In this poem, Bond asks for us to be kinder to one another and playing on the idea that no one should be considered and outsider, or other. Similarly, in his poem “To the Poets Among Us” Bond asks that we watch the animals and “respect the grace with which/ they execute their knowledge.”

Bond’s poetry is easy and pleasurable to read. His poetic style oscillates between free form and more rhythmic traditional rhyming styles. I also wondered, on a bit of a side note, if his poem “Where the Flea Once Bit” was a small homage to the famous poet John Donne’s work, “The Flea”. To summarise this poetry collection I would say that Bond asks us to look at the poetry that is all around us and the poetry that has been with us since the dawn of time. His poems are comforting, challenging, and thought provoking.

Welcome to 2019 and the first of many more reviews. Who is your favourite poet? Or more importantly, what poetry books do you have on your to-read-list? As always, share the reading love.

NOTE: this collection of poetry was sent to me through Netgalley thanks to Big City Press for review purposes.

I really thought I could like it but sadly I did not. It was probably my lack of understanding that contributed to that.

I received a copy of this book to review from Big City Press via NetGalley.

Poetry is difficult to review as it is such a subjective art. I pick up a poetry book hoping to find a few poems which 'talk to me'. I’m happy if a book has one or two like that. This book by Mike Bond has several and I rate it a success for me on that basis. Some of the language is beautiful, some is profound, and some I don’t get. But that’s just fine. Here are some examples -

"These words are nothing against a sky so vast no thought can harm it."
"The mind grows wise watching itself."
"It’s always the time it is even when you sneak up on it even when you forget or try to live without it."

Stunning language and imagery and I’ll be looking out for more from this poet. I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I got an email from NetGalley about this book and I thought it sounded interesting.
I haven't heard of this author before, so I didn't know what to expect either.
After reading the "Preface- Rooted in the heart", I felt very optimistic but as soon as I started to read the poems I wasn't as optimistic anymore.
Maybe I just don't get the metaphors or the meanings, but I found them to be too gloomy. Too dark. This was just not the book for me.
BUT I did find a poem I really liked and it's called "DNA"

I found this book rather average. The poems, although holding a great deal of connection and reverence to earth it so obviously sings to, fails to turn words into poetry. Mike Bond has tried hard in this book, sadly, the work did not resonate with me.

Wonderfully concise and full of wisdom, this book was a real winner. I found myself marking poem after poem for rereading. Highly recommended.

Easy and free flowing language that makes for an engrossing read. Some of the poems are too short though to hold up any ideas while others are too lengthy. It would have been great if the poems had more balance in length.

Creative book of poems with a message. It is more than that really. There is a message in these words of imagery. Whether you like poetry or not -- the message or not you can tell the writer or poet has a passion for his thoughts and words.

As long as I can remember I’ve loved poetry. I grew up devouring Rod McKuen, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and in more recent years Mary Oliver and Billy Collins. When I saw The Drum That Beats Within Us and read about the poet, I was intrigued and was fortunate to receive an advance copy to read.

This is such a beautiful book of poetry. I started reading it slow to savor just a few poems a day until I felt the need to read more and more and finish, unwillingly. I’m looking forward to purchasing a physical copy of this book and will treasure it as I do so many of my other favorite poetry volumes.

The language is beautiful, heartbreaking, romantic, sad, savvy, and nostalgic all at once. From longer poems to very short, thought provoking poems, the lines of each take the reader to a world the poet has experienced or given much thought to. Truly beautiful, I look forward to exploring more work by Mr. Bond.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Badass bison cover? Check.
Earthy poetry context? Check.
Beautifully written prose? mostly...
A unified and wholesome experience? No.

With the popularity of poetry coming to the forefront of the secular reading world, there is a necessity to filter the good from the mediocre. I found this to be the latter. There were a few collected sentences that come across with an insight into rural world and human nature that bordered on profound. However, these were so muddled by just 'okay' poems that I found it hard to enjoy the book as a whole.

I would also compliment the author on his perspective and attempts at incorporating aspects of both technology and the natural world into one collection, but found critique in the drastic shift between the two. It created a reading experience that was jarring to the point of whiplash. I need some transition between skyscrapers, a broken heart and witnessing the passing of seasons.

All in all: some high points, but they should be taken in isolation from the unified presentation.

2/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Big City Press for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.  When I read books for review I try to mix in poetry collections with everything else because it feels refreshing to me, especially after reading heavier things.  Every once in a while you get a collection that, at first doesn't look like it will be something that interests you from the cover, but turns out to be an incredible collection of work.  I wasn't too thrilled about the bison on the front but quickly found myself loving everything I was reading and highlighting sections that really spoke to me.  It makes me so happy when these sorts of things happen and reminds me to not judge a book by its cover, cliché, I know...

Immediately when I started this book, the preface pulled me in.  Bond's writing style and use of such rich imagery and description here absolutely pulled the poetry through and together for me.  His prose here is so beautiful and I would 100% not skip it.  It's even a nice piece to go back and read once you finish all the poetry.  It does do its job and preface what you are about to read, but if you read it as a conclusion also, it really works to drive those key concepts and ideas home.  For me, it helped bookend the poetry and illuminated meanings buried within the poetry.  More specifically, I loved how in the preface, the idea of poetry as a high and untouchable are that is ruled by academics is called out.  While people do study and compose poetry in academia, I think that poetry should be accessible for everyone.  While it seems lofty and highbrow, poetry is easy to understand if you realize that it is a way to convey emotions and feelings and can be interpreted so many different ways.  The one way that a poem is interpreted by academia is not always the correct.  I am appreciative for Bond making that clear, but also putting that idea before his own poetry.  It gives the reader permission, almost, to interpret and pull from his poetry what they will.  Those meaningful connections are what count.  

In a more general sense, I love the poetic flow and voice of Bond's writing.  There wasn't one poem that I didn't like or find beautifully constructed.  I also appreciated the mix of rhyming and non-rhyming poems and his thoughts on how both are perfectly fine examples of poetry.  For me, rhyming poetry is harder for me to write and I have actually never accomplished it.  Free verse is what I normally read and write occasionally (actually, I'm a haiku fan more).  There is also a multitude of general poetry forms and length.  Normally short poems aren't my thing unless the meaning is clear.  In this case,  I genuinely enjoyed those few short poems; they made their point clear and the short length helped drive that across.    

On the topics covered in this collection of poetry, I connected with those dealing with ancestry and time more so than others.  The beginning starts with the imagery of cavemen and set the mood for me.  Using the lenses he did throughout this collection really gave a refreshing view of life and land.  A lot of the ideas interspersed throughout the poems in this book mirrored ways that I felt about the world and spiritual matters.  For example, in the poem 'Moon of Black Cherries,' Bond says,

"for all that has been before shall be again
all that was is now and always will
nothing lies forgotten under the grass...
...our ancestors, have feet of grass,
bones of air..."       

I was completely taken when I read that.  Those ideas are so similar to my own spiritual beliefs.  I immediately highlighted that section to go back to later.  When you encounter these sorts of things and have those little moments of clarity, it's pretty amazing. 

Another poem this occurred for me is called 'Smith River.'  In this poem, the river is the central aspects and like the life-giver.   What's interesting is that in this poem the river is called a source, but then the source's source is discussed.  I love the Tao de Ching and saw such a strong connection with the ideas of life and the Tao in this poem.  The Tao is in everything and is from everything, just as The River is in this poem.  Interestingly, I have also always thought of Wu Wei, a principal concept within Taoism, like a river.  The imagery connection was so strong for me and sort of re-grounded me in my own spiritual ideas.

"The River teaches
that all things
are the source
of all things,
each of the other 
and of itself."        

On Goodreads, I gave this book five stars.  I have absolutely no problems with it whatsoever.  The poetry was well composed for me, the layout and feel of the book were both clean and light, the subjects came across strongly in each piece and were relevant for now, the preface was the perfect introduction for this collection, and it taught me a lesson in judging covers.  I would absolutely buy this for my bookshelf and recommend it to anyone.  While the poetry is strong and well-done, it doesn't seem to float over your head or try to be super academic and highbrow.  The topics aren't cloaked in symbols, rather it is easy to figure out what each piece is about and see how it connects to the connection as a whole.

This collection of poetry was beautiful. It had wonderful imagery, a lot of the poems really spoke to me, which is what I love so much about poetry.

It had a lot of beautiful descriptions of love, nature, and relationships. Poetry is very hit or miss for me, if it doesn’t resonate with me somehow, it’s not for me. This collection, resonated with me.

There were a few poems where I wasn’t sure what the message was or what it was trying to say, but that’s how poetry is. Something that doesn’t strike a cord with you might hit home for someone else. And that’s the beauty of it! If you like poetry I’d recommend you pick up this collection

My unhappiness with this book began with the introduction. In the introduction Mr. Bond states "Nothing important in life is learned rationally. What counts is what we learn emotionally." That statement is so unbalanced and untrue as to make the reader stop reading and consider the bias and lack of thought that would go into making such a statement. What we learn emotionally is certainly of great value, but so is what we learn rationally. I would assume that Mr. Bond learned the structure of the English language that he used to write that unfortunate sentence.....rationally.

Mr. Bond, a little further in, quotes Horace, whom he states once said that "anyone who can look up at the stars and not feel the power of God probably cannot feel much at all.". What a prejudicial load of garbage. While I am not an atheist, I have family members who are. I assure you, Mr. Bond, they feel. They feel deeply. They love deeply. They revere the earth and are in love with her wonders, her magesty, her beauty. They just do not believe in God. I wish you did not feel the need to refer to atheists as essentially lesser beings, into chastised others, in the introduction of your book.

There are some poems I thought would benefit from tighter editing. In "Leaving Indian Caves, Montana" Mr. Bond demonstrates a fondness for saying "and of the" repeatedly. It is not needed. The lines are stronger if you be don't go there.

Some of the shorter poems became my favorites. For example: "Nothing." " Nothing/will always/be true. ". There are at least two ways to read and interpret that poem, and that is what makes it interesting.

There were some .poems where I just went: huh? Reading "Every good intention/hides a spine/of poison" I found myself deeply disagreeing with the author. I do not believe that every good intention hides a spine of poison.

Death figures in many of the poems. I began to wonder if Mr. Bond has unresolved issues with death that he is working out in his poetry. If that is the case, that is fine. I found myself wanting him to find some resolution by the end of the book and it didn't happen.

I appreciated Mr. Bond's love for the western United States and the natural world. His appreciation of and kinship with the earth echoes the writings of indigenous people on these topics. I was also reminded of Walt Whitman.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book of poems. Mr. Bond is clearly a talented writer and some of the images in his poems were quite striking. If I was going to suggest anything to him as a writer it would be this: Go deeper. Go where the fear and the pain is and sit with it. There also will be the root of love.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for my honest review.

This poetry book reads like a love letter to the wild and scary parts of humans that are still connected with the land. The beating, thumping, heart pounding part of us that wants to scurry through the underbrush or fly through the trees. Human beings have become disconnected from that animal parts of ourselves. Mike Bond, among many things, is a tireless environmentalist and for one beautiful hour, as your pour yourself over the pages, you can let the wild drums out and feel a connection.

It isn't a perfect book, the poetry was flat at points and the preface was a little jarring. I understand that Bond has earned his political and environmental stripes but I don't need that in the forefront of my mind while trying to absorb poetry. Also, I know some readers are going to point out that there are Native American Iconography in a few of these poems. Bond, to my understanding, is not native and some people would point out that this is cultural appropriation. I am not sure. The poems come off to me as an homage to a Native culture, a culture that treats the environment with reference, rather than a way to score some poem points. That is a subjective point for the reader an maybe something to be sensitive to.

I think that this is a worthy attempt at writing down a human feeling that almost seems unwritable. That throbbing connection to the land that humans seem to be getting further away from. Read it, see how you feel. I know it sparked a slow and steady boom --- boom inside me, if only for a moment.

There's some very good poetry in this book, along with some that I didn't quite understand. Overall a decent read though.

I enjoyed this book of poetry. I especially liked the preface about what poetry is and can mean. I liked best the poems about love and death and the meaning of life. I will be going back to reread the lines that struck me.

Poetry collections are like molded jello salads on a holiday buffet table. Some go straight for them, others avoid them on principle, and most of us take a bit, sample and perhaps savor the tasty bits within.

Mike Bond and his work are new to me, and I was excited for the opportunity to engage with these poems (thanks, NetGalley and Big City Press!).

I started with the preface and wonder why it was included. It starts with cave men “chewing mammoth bones” and devolves from there into some ranting (against poetry in academia) and scolding (“we sh'ould all write poetry.”). Mmm okay. Moving on.

On to the poems: there’s a huge variety here. Some in rhyme, many free verse. Some are several pages long, others very short (“Nothing” is 5 words!). I admire Bond’s ambition in trying out so many forms.

Some of these poems really trouble me. “Old Fool” is about a very elderly man and his age related afflictions, and “so we suffer him.” There’s no love or appreciation for the person in the aged body, just the realization that “we each will soon enough be like him.” Another poem, “Every Good,” states that “every good intention hides a spine of poison.” I realize as I write this that I look for humanism in poetry and am not finding it here. Bond seems to find meaning and beauty in nature (often from the point of view of a Native American gaze) and not in people.

I suspect there are many readers who are looking for other things in their poems, and who will appreciate this more than I did.