Customer Reviews

Come, Wewoka & Diary of Medicine Flower

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Reading Edward Patterson's poems and musings about various subjects was like a jolt to the heart. Once I started reading I couldn't stop. I wanted to grasp it all as quickly as possible. It will be later that I'll linger over each poem to savor its essence. I don't know if Ed has Indian blood or not, but he evidently has an Indian soul. Beautiful Ed, simply beautiful.

One of the greatest tragedies of our American History, and of the history of our world is the abomination that led to the Trail of Tears of 1831. The devastation that occurred due to the forced relocation of entire nations from their homelands due to the greed of the American government still lingers today within the Five Civilized Tribes who were the victims of this action, and many of Edward Patterson's poetry in this dual collection deals with those after effects, and expresses the anguish, anger, and frustrations that continue to haunt his people almost 200 years later.

In addition to the poems of "Come, Wewoka,", Patterson shares much of his personal life through the prose poetry of "Diary of Medicine Flower". These poems, as personally insightful as the others, are more focused not on the impact of the Trail of Tears on his people as the life he's led and the trials and tribulations which he's faced and overcome.

This collection reflects what I believe to be poetry at its best, poetry which gives us a peek into the heart of the human soul from which we come away feeling a little more enlightened.

This is a poetry collection that every lover of great literature should find moving.

- Gregory Bernard Banks, author, reader, reviewer