He Stilled the Waters

He Stilled the Waters is inspirational poet DGSmith's remarkable compilation of words of faith and uplifting verse. Bringing together eleven years of work, it is a volume brimming with tremendous heart. While the entire book is extremely easy to read, the simple words have the power to touch your soul. The collection of over fifty poems and one short story could be read in the course of an hour or two, but the book will more than likely pull you in and spark an infectious impulse to reflect on the poet's words, to revisit the life lessons and insight they convey, and to share them with those you hold dear.DGSmith's path to poetry was unexpected and perhaps providential. On National Missing Children's Day in May 2000, he happened to watch a television broadcast about missing children and afterwards felt compelled to start writing a poem. He wrote the title, "I Will Not Close My Eyes," and the final four lines before falling asleep that night, completing the poem the next day. Other poems similarly took form in response to observed events, including his reflections on the fear his coworkers felt in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, and words prompted by a newspaper article about the passing of an elderly couple who had been married for sixty-four years. Alongside are compassionate settings of imagined realities being endured everyday, including people coping with abuse, the impoverished living in need, and those struggling with a sense of isolation. Throughout, the poems bristle with a message of God's infinite love and unfaltering protection. He Stilled the Waters also contains extremely personal verses including the poet's meditations on the loss of his father, words of devotion that he presented to his wife, Amber, on their first wedding anniversary, and poems inspired by his son, Mason. Introducing each poem in the collection is a brief commentary by DGSmith that reveals some of the emotion and thought that led to each specific composition. Concluding the book is DGSmith's first-ever short story, "Charlie's Radio," a tale of an unexpected bond between a twelve-year-old boy and a resident of a new homeless shelter.He Stilled the Waters is a wonderful and endearing collection of faith-based poetry encompassing a range of topics-death, infidelity, love, war, dreams, loss, tragedy, old age, and life in general-offered with the knowledge that while these realities touch everyone, God's love and abiding presence pervades and sustains all. It is a refreshing and rousing read that will tug at your heart with every turn of the page.