Kaleidoscope of Poetry

Robert A. Cozzi’s Kaleidoscope of Colors may shock readers when they feel its heft in their hands. It is quite a large assortment of poetry. Published by Beach Umbrella Publishing in 2019, Kaleidoscope of Colors is Cozzi’s fifth poetic work. As a poet, he is certainly loquacious—this collection in particular is three hundred and five pages long.

It is a bit difficult to discern what Cozzi’s poetic style is exactly despite there being so much material present in the text. The collection is fit to burst with all its haikus, free verse, and ongoing prose poems. And while Cozzi’s productivity as a poet is impressive and, yes, poets as a rule do love words, he would do well to remember one particular word: Editing.

That word should be emblazoned into the minds of all poets. The editing process allows their finest pieces to be bathed in the readers’ gazes. Mediocre works can be sharpened into daggers ,and even though the intense pressure of revisions can wear on a poet, they will create diamonds as a result.

And it would also be in the best interests of such an enormous book as this to contain a table of contents; the lack of this much needed feature makes for quite difficult navigating throughout the text.

Readers may feel a hint of trepidation when faced with the expanse of this collection. They may even think it is a large print edition, and that, upon consideration, would not be such a bad thing. It is a shame that there are not that many large print editions of poetry books —if such a thing exists at all. And Cozzi is clearly doing what he loves—writing poetry. This tome is in want of some polish, but the exuberance of writing gleams through.

When they can be found, there are some lovely poems in Kaleidoscope of Colors as well. The opening lines of “For Marilyn Hafler,” for instance, carry a romance in their stoic strength. “No ghosts will linger / In the places we have dwelled,” the speaker narrates. The hook has struck and the catch needs only to be reeled in.

Then, in “Sunbeams on the Water,” Cozzi pens verses which are radiate in their sweet simplicity.

Sun drops in

Softly at first

Beam after beam

Dancing atop the

Thirsty blue green ocean water

The idyllic, quiet nature scene created by this poem is nearly drowned out by the clamoring of all the other pieces as they beg to be read.

But readers can find a reprieve in “Secret Garden,” where “Near the end of the beach,” they will catch sight of “… Bright pieces of sea glass…” and “White caps dance atop the rolling surf.” They will be entranced by the hypnotic nature of this piece.

Cozzi could find himself producing a very appealing chapbook of nature poems if he would not be opposed to dicing up this sweetly natured behemoth of a collection. His ability to reproduce the sights and sounds of the natural world in his readers’ minds is rather superb.

“Towing in the Tide of Sleep” is able to perfectly capture the internal editing battle Cozzi seems to be struggling with. The piece describes a man reading late at night, his “… mind is a spotlight / On an empty stage.” It is a brilliant dedication to ravenous readers. The second to last stanza of the poem is delicious: “Somewhere / Between the lines / His eyes finally go dark.”

But therein lies the problem. Instead of cutting the poem there, which would force his readers to experience this dramatic entrance into sleep themselves, Cozzi continues for one more, unnecessary stanza. In this poem, Cozzi demonstrates both his great potential and weakness as a poet.

Robert A. Cozzi’s fantastic skill of conjuring up detailed, immersive scenes is one to be admired and enjoyed. His other poetry collections include Handful of Memories, Sky of Dreams, Blanket of Hearts, and Tide Pool of Words.

Cozzi is not a poet who is afraid of the work which comes with writing, a respectable attribute, and his nature poems are without a doubt fantastic reading material.

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