Gilbert Saenz

Spaces in Between Gilbert Saenz Revised edition

Spaces In Between is a collection of poems which covers the span of poetry-writing years of Gil Saenz all the way from the first published poems of 1985 to the present. The subjects cover such themes as: love, romance, fantasy, dreams, beauty, nature, spirituality, philosophy and notions about time. The style of the poems is varied and in this way, one particular style never prevails too long. Some poems rhyme while others are unrhymed and still others are prose-like in their style. You can agree, disagree or just feel neutral but each poem captures the attention, or stirs the imagination of the reader in one way or another. There is something to suit everyone's taste. Poetry-lovers and aficionados will be delighted with this collection of poems for the sheer variety of themes and subjects. It is romantic, nostalgic, entertaining and enlightening at different times and in different ways. The title, Spaces In Between, as may be seen in the title poem refers to all those idle moments that are spent by most of us as we wait somewhere for something. Sometimes, we're waiting for a bus, or waiting for a plane, or waiting in the supermarket check-out line, or waiting in a doctor's office. To become aware that we have so much idle time to think, imagine or wonder about things is one of the main ideas that Saenz is trying to put across. Thoughts, especially unconscious thoughts, whether good or bad many times determine our behavior. The more we are aware of this, the more we can be less automatic and more selective about what we are thinking. A lot of the poems here involve experiences and incidents which are only a few moments or 'spaces in between.'