Presented as more of a series of prayers and devotionals, this slender hardback book of poetry by Helen Steiner Rice, entitled Daily Stepping Stones, is an impressive collection of religious fluff. I say that lovingly, mind you, as fluff is like cotton candy, and while sweet and simplistic in design, can often bring joy and delight, and even make our stomachs feel full.
Rice’s poetry is more classical in structure, featuring conventional end rhymes and sing-song style meters that have long since gone out of style, and yet have never really gone away either.
Being fluff, it is easy to review this book on a website or app, such as something like Goodreads, but more difficult in trying to think of something meaningful to impart from it. One would notice some small proofreads I made in the book, as such with the above example, and notice that Rice’s poetry could use some basic edits and proofreads. For example, the untitled poem photographed would work better if broken up into stanzas of four lines each.
Rice’s poetry could also use basic English grammar standards to help dictate how she wants her poetry to be read aloud, if it is intended to be read aloud. A hefty amount of reading William Butler Yeats’s poetry would have served the poet well.
Alas, these mistakes are typical of self-published Christian poetry, usually excused by feigned humility and lack of pretense. Mild annoyances aside, Rice’s poetry is simple and clean, and if we are allowed to say this anymore, technically proficient in its construct. While many will deride such poetical fluff, there is also much to take from her work. Perhaps humility and lack of pretense isn’t so bad afterall?
The Verse Universe 