Customer Reviews:

• "We would all heal faster if we had the courage to write poetry to uncover our feelings and the wisdom which dwells within us. Sylvia expresses these feelings eloquently, with her words and poems she will inspire you on the path of healing. To "In the Garden of Illness: I sit by the Well of Hope," all I can say is: YES!" - Bernie Siegel, MD

• "It is obvious that she writes with passion derived from experience. Her work is moving and profound. Her talent is refreshing and the words she uses draws a clear picture of life's events and emotions. I related to "One Day at a Time" and "Enlightenment" moved me to tears. I hope to see more of her work. I think this chapbook will make a wonderful and comforting gift to anyone. Beautiful and hope giving poems of real life, very moving work." - Debra Ridpath

• "Sylvia Thompson has handled a difficult subject in a very skillful manner. I was first drawn to this book by its title, and by the cover art.I am also a sucker for anything that deals with hope. As I began to read this collection I realized that Sylvia is indeed a poet of the first order. I read the book straight through while my tea grew cold.I especially like the poem, THE STONE of EXPECTATION. Congratulations, Sylvia, on a truly magical book!" - Emily Romano

• "Sylvia Thompson understands healing. She teaches meditation, Reiki, Chakra, and Color Therapy. When diagnosed with colon cancer in 2005, Ms. Thompson called upon every well of knowledge, strength, creativity, and hope at her disposal. The result of her introspection is this beautiful chapbook, which she now shares with the world. Through her poetry, she creates beauty out of illness and sorrow, transforms a weed- infested garden into thriving flowers.

In the title poem, "The Garden of Illness," she sympathizes with an oncologist unwilling to inspire hope in himself or anyone else. I quote several verses in excerpt:
        My oncologist's mind
        has a hard time flowing
        around the sharp-edged boulders
        of statistical probability
        down into the tranquil brook
        of against all odds.

        I want to ease his pain
        almost more than my own,
        leading him out from behind
        the fence of emotional protection
        and tell him to remember.

        Witnessing in seasons not long past,
        weeds withering, some vanish
        on their own, and gardens flourish
        into ripe, full harvests
        when even the most optimistic
        gardener had forecast
        drought.

This excerpt from "Soul Script" reflects the shock this poet felt when hearing her diagnosis for the first time. The poem, in its entirety, is powerful and understated:
        Lashes try to blink
        confusion into focus
        while my mind pulls
        frantically on the shades
        trying to keep truth's
        harsh glare out.

The diagnosis of a devastating disease forces Ms. Thompson to focus on her own mortality and lost loved ones. "Death of My Mother" is brief. I quote the poem here in its entirety:
        The leaf
        composting on the ground
        forever holds
        its luscious color.
        In the imprint of
        eternity,
        the air I breathe
        contains
        my mother.

What a transforming thought! "In the imprint of eternity, the air I breathe contains my mother." This lovely book of hope and healing should be mandatory reading for everyone diagnosed with a catastrophic disease, their families, friends, and health care providers. And The American Cancer Society should distribute it far and wide in return for contributions. It's important that we all understand the healing power of hope. Sylvia Thompson shares hope in glorious ways." - Review by Laurel Johnson, Midwest Book Review

• “In the Garden of Illness” is a delightful chapbook of contemporary poetry by poet Sylvia Thompson. Her theme of Hope while facing a terminal illness permeates each work. The contents are worth taking a moment to reflect on and the reader will not be disappointed. There isn’t any life or family that is not touched by some need of hope when there is illness, and Ms Thompson’s words will bring comfort. All the works included in this volume have significant merit, and with each reading, some new thought or comfort can be taken away by the reader.

How often when illness strikes that we wish for the reasons of “why me?” One of my favorites from the work “Enlightenment”:

        I prayed to the Heavens
        for a great teacher
        dignifying, enlightening and steady.
        With desperate pleas,
        in silent conveyance,
        that I, the student, was ready.

Another work, the lines from “Shortcut”:

        A wise man once said
        God and fear
        cannot occupy
        the same space.
        then, I got cancer
        and learned that
        fear is a shortcut
        to grace,
        and that without
        grace,
        one cannot
        occupy
        God’s
        space.

And then, Ms Thompson finishes her volume with the work titled “In Whom I Walk”:

        Come, let us walk
        along the bank of the river,
        for you are in me, and I am in you.

        We will tell each other
        of truth and of beauty,
        for you are closer to me than my own breath.

        Come, let us look
        out over the mountain’s tops
        without lifting even one foot to climb upward,
        for they will lift us
        on to their highest peaks
        with ease and awe
        us who can move them.

Reviewed by: Elizabeth Lucas-Taylor, author, poet. Unfinished Business, Dandelion Books, Dangerous Business, coming soon.