Falling Stars

Falling Stars: Dan Springsteen

The stars in the sky are like a pathway to finding your way among the many beautiful wonders in our solar system. The night sky can be magnificent and looking at the stars rising or falling can often be compared to the souls of people that have lived, died and are shining upon us. Did you ever see a shooting or falling star? Some people think it means good luck and if you wish on one your wish might come true. As you read the poems within this book titled “Falling Stars,” the authors emotional journeys from despair, pain, sadness, hopelessness, mistakes, clouds that hide the light and his vision from the world and events that impacted his life, you the reader will understand that your destiny is your own and the results of your actions are what happens because of you. A change or big event in your life or that of the author’s life can be an epiphany of something positive to come or something negative with an ending you would like to change like one in a novel that ends sadly. As I read this poems many emotions came to light as at times you want to laugh, scream, cry or jump up and down with pain or sorrow yet you can feel the inner turmoil within the writer’s heart and mind as with a shooting star the movement of your body or that of a heavenly body can be illuminating and profound.

The title poem begins our journey as the author explains that we are all falling stars and what if a falling star is a new soul?
The stars when you look at them light the night sky and the cold freezes the pain. When you doubt or have doubts they dim and the chills that run in his veins numb has overcome. He then goes on to state how he’s drowning in the past of hurt and the following poem titled Drown continues on that path. Depressed, unimpressed, conflicted and the numb feeling was addicted. He feels or relates that no pain or love shifted this hole that I lived in! It’s like his hiding or in this huge deep hole and needs to find a way to come out of the dark and into the light.

Me am his definition or description of himself expressing many different emotions. Life goes by so fast you almost miss the amazing moments as the author relates the life of someone in the poem Time Flies. He focuses more on this in the poem titled Tik Tok and asks at the start: Where has time gone

This time we list is in the past

Nothing has to hurt, nothing to kill

We have to move on, climb these hills. This is so true as obstacles create barriers in our lives it’s your job to overcome them, swim over the rough waters and then float. At times he seems to be in pain and apologizing for his actions and wondering, “Where did I go wrong?” I think many of us wonder and ask ourselves that question. Sometimes, the pain does seem to go on forever and trying to hide the past seems the smiles never last.

Arrow Love is the title of this poem and it reflects on his feelings about someone that he cared or cares about and the arrows shot took aim and then backfired like life does at times. The poems that follow are titled Clouds and the picture on page 33 says it all. You can see the beautiful clouds but you realize that they hide the sunshine and reading the poems you will understand more about what the author feels about these white billowy clouds.

Wish is a powerful poem as the author relates that moving away, feeling trapped in this place no matter where they say Life happiness is no race. A very valid point is made as he states that in order to find yourself you have to take you time and with that you will find happiness on a dusty shelf. The last sentence says it all and will help anyone that is in the doldrums know that Now get up, you’re rising from the fall!

Not done tells a special story about the clouds that never see the sun and the sadness behind a father who never sees his son, kids that get bullied just for fun and the hope that you should not give up because life is far from done. The theme continues throughout the poem and the final message is powerful: Show the world why your life is far from done!

There are so many poems that I could spotlight them all but I will focus on two more and let you the reader read the rest for yourself and take the many journeys narrated by our poet hoping that you too will understand the hope, the pain, the sadness and the joys that underline each separate theme or message delivered. Open Eyes explains that life changes, keep moving, Don’t’ hold hate, (Powerful message and words)< only live once. Past till linger and I agree shoot to the future where life is pure and the ending is inspirational: Love is never too far! Open your eyes: Hellos begin with sad goodbyes. He talks about Anxiety in one poem and Move along in another as the stuff I feel he states is a new form of feelings and the view at the end is worth all the downfalls. You need the read what comes in between yourself. Raw Love and Back Seat are two poems that young people will identify with and finally the pictures tell their own stories and the poem I really love is Take A Stand. Take a stand and I’ll take your hand. Don’t be alone don’t be on your own. Let me fly you high and don’t say goodbye. Flooding waters crash the sea, Don’t drown I; help you see!

The collection rounds out with the final poem titled Climb which lets you know that all the obstacles in the world will not hinder you or hold you back because as the poem closes it states: The mountain you see is Climbable!

Remember, as you will learn when you read the poem Destiny that you are close to reaching it on your own.

The shooting or falling star is special and will help you reach your destiny. When I see a falling star I feel that it raises my spirits and helps me soar. In some cultures it means bad omens and yet in some they symbolize the falling angels. I love wishing on one and feel that they have a positive meaning. The stars when you see them and you read each of these poems represent desires, goals and true spirits that we dream in our dreams. Did you ever see a shining star and feel clarity? Did you feel faith and hope! Reading these poems you will experience many emotions, happy, sad, sorrowful, and angry and at times you fall down and at others you soar and climb to the top. Everyone has his/her own beginning and end. As the back cover states issues of pain, hurt, stress and love are themes but when reading these poems you too will experience what the writer feels and as you look at the pictures the thoughts will become clearer. Look at the stars in the sky and if you see a shooting or falling star you might see something amazing and a gift that was sent to you to light up your hopes and dreams and life.

The song catch a falling star says it all: Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket,

Never let it fade away.
Catch a falling star and put it in our pocket

Save it for a rainy day.

In keeping with the themes of these poems you never know that love may come up and tap you on the shoulder some starless night Just in case you feel you want to hold her, you’ll have a pocketful of starlight. So when things get tough you can soar and you can find your way and for when your troubles start multiplying and they might it’s so easy to forget them without trying. Just take that falling star and put it in your pocket and you never know when you might need it on a rainy day. Powerful and emotional poems by first time author Dan Springsteen setting the bar high for others to come. Great collection, great pictures that help create emotional changes within the poet and definitely hope he continues to write.

Fran Lewis: Just reviews/MJ network/MJ magazine