Customer Reviews

The Andrew Poems (Walt McDonald First-Book Series)

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I've seen Shelly in person and have felt her pain. Her poem "The Boxes" is one of the most amazing poems I've ever read. She knows how to put the pain into words.

I have lost two children in the past 6 years, and Shelly writes what I feel. "Get out of the box....Ben and Matthew."

The Andrew Poems by Shelly Wagner take us back to 1984, the drowning of Andrew. Having never written Poetry before, Shelly Wagner grasps us from page one, and doesn't let us go.

This book has made Mrs.Wagner one of my single most favorite poets. It shows us that there does not have to be a technique or background in poetry to give the world something with as much dept as "The Andrew Poems". I live with my grandmother and when my father passed I have always wonder how it affected her, these pieces have shown me what has gone through her mind and that is something I am very greatful for. If your looking for some dribble light hearted poetry, than this is not for you, but if you want "Poetry" than don't pass this one by.
Richard, TX, 17

Wagner wrote her debut collection following the death of her 5-year-old son. With rich, vivid words, she shares a little boy who played with Matchbox cars, watched soap operas with his grandmother, wore a gorilla mask to the zoo, and spent a July evening on a tire swing, then drowned in the river behind his house. Her writing pulsates with love, longing and grief. As a bereaved grandmother, these are the poems I longed for when searching validation of my own grief.

Wagner's poetry is raw and brutally honest. There is nothing vague or abstract in these poems. No reader will close this book wondering what the poet was trying to say. She captures the madness of grief in poems describing her inability to dust or navigate the cereal aisle in the grocery store. The final stanza of "Faded" captures exactly how I felt when the first anniversary of my granddaughter's stillbirth approached:
Someone offering comfort said,
"This will pass."
I recoiled like a slapped child,
Fearing if the grief were to fade,
I would be left with nothing.

Although I did not fall directly in the target audience ( if there can be such a thing) for this book, having never lost a child, I was greatly moved by reading it.

I had purchased a copy, and read it in one sitting ( highly recommended) on a trans-continental airline flight. My seat mate kept stealing glances over my shoulder, to find out what I was reading that kept me reaching for my handkerchief, and weeping profusely at times.

Subsequently, I have encountered numerous parents who have lost their children in some accident or tragedy, and I never hesitate to recommend this book to them. Shelly Wagner has given us a phenomenal tool for grief counseling. Read it, and see if there is not someone for whom it is appropriate. This volume belongs in the library of every compassionate human being on the planet.

Capt. Chris Siegel Beaufort, NC seagull@myexcel.com