“Nocturnal Embers” is a beautiful collection of poetry and photographs by Danish writer, Helle Gade. I was very impressed by the poet’s first book, “Silent Dreams”, but I think this is even better. The poems touched me in so many ways; some made me want to weep, others made me smile. Each one touched a part of me.

“Excruciating Pain, “Release Me”, “Sadness”, “Fog” and “Fatigue” moved me almost to tears. The first of these is a heart-rending description of a person suffering with an invisible, painful illness. Knowing several people who have to live with pain constantly or who live behind a façade of normality, this poem stood out for me.

I love the poem “Child’s Soul”. It is quite beautiful, mentioning the positive attributes of love and compassion. I felt that it could be matched with “Karma”; despite the fact that, in many ways, it is…