Take my hand and walk with me: A collection of selected poems - Paperback

by Rickey K. Hood (Author)

"Take My Hand Walk With Me.
Together, let us create the pages that move us through life."

Some journeys cannot be traveled alone.

A poet's life told one poem at a time

There are poetry collections that showcase a writer's talent, and then there are collections that quietly reveal a writer's life. Take My Hand Walk With Me belongs to the second category.

Spanning more than three decades of writing, Rickey K. Hood's collection is less a gathering of favorite poems than a literary autobiography. As the pages unfold, readers witness the evolution of a poet wrestling with identity, race, love, sexuality, spirituality, grief, injustice, aging, and hope. The poems do not remain fixed in one style or one subject. Instead, they grow alongside the person who wrote them.

One of the book's greatest strengths is its honesty. Hood never writes as though he has all the answers. Whether confronting racism, questioning religious certainty, celebrating love, or exploring loneliness, his voice remains genuine and deeply human. Even when the poems address controversial subjects, they are driven more by lived experience than by ideology.

Several pieces stayed with me long after I finished reading. "In a Little Corner of My Mind" captures the lingering wounds of childhood with remarkable tenderness. "U.S.S. Henrietta Marie" transforms the slave ship into a haunting narrator of history. "Tempest" offers a memorable meditation on fear and faith, while "Like Sunshine" and "Written on High" reveal a quieter, more reflective spiritual voice. The title poem, "Take My Hand Walk With Me," serves as a fitting invitation into the collection and beautifully expresses the book's central theme: that our lives are built from shared memories and the journeys we take together.

The collection also refuses to remain in one emotional register. Alongside poems of grief and social commentary are poems celebrating desire, tenderness, humor, and everyday beauty. The result is a book that feels balanced rather than relentlessly heavy. Readers will likely find different poems speaking to different seasons of their own lives.

This is not a perfect collection. Because it spans more than thirty years, some poems inevitably feel stronger and more polished than others. A few pieces would benefit from tighter editing, and occasionally the poet explains ideas that his imagery has already communicated. Yet these uneven moments also remind the reader that this is a genuine retrospective rather than a carefully curated "greatest hits" anthology. The progression itself becomes part of the experience.

Perhaps what impressed me most was watching the poet mature. The earliest poems search for identity. The middle sections confront history, injustice, and social conflict with increasing confidence. The later poems become quieter, more contemplative, and more interested in reconciliation than argument. By the final pages, the reader realizes they have not simply read a collection of poems-they have accompanied a writer through decades of personal and artistic growth.

Readers looking for light, decorative poetry may not connect with this collection. Those who appreciate poetry rooted in lived experience, emotional honesty, and thoughtful reflection will find much to return to.

Highly recommended.

5 out of 5 stars.