How do you describe a miracle? It cant feel nearly impossible to put the mystical, incomprehensible, and esoteric into perspective. These instances can be (and often are) incredibly personal, solitary events. They happen in war zones. Refugee camps. Holy sites. The depths of inner cities.
A Word Like God is an attempt by author Leo Jenkins to harness these enlightening experiences. I can only imagine that, given the life Leo leads, he has experienced many incredible and profound moments in his immediate vicinity. However, I also suspect he has a vast inner world that takes these experiences and runs with them, splitting each scene and tweaking the parameters surrounding them. People with vast inner worlds can freeze-frame moments in their life to analyze and examine them as if they were reliving them at that moment.
There are unique challenges in exporting the thoughts of the inner world. They are often formatted unusually, coming out like the ramblings of a subway preacher. Leo, very in tune with his readers, forewarns of this in the preface. Whether he would like it or not, this is work from a subway preacher that I would stop and pay attention to.
Leo’s writing is powerful. Like many talented writers, he has a fantastic way of injecting imagery into your mind. A Word Like God has no shortage of imagery, but it feels more like staring into a kaleidoscope of spiritual wisdom. As you twist through the book's pages, you are subject to fantastic illustrations from Leo that reflect the dualism and paradoxes explored in the book.
Seeing Leo take his work in this direction may surprise some. There is bravery in taking a hard left into the spiritual and esoteric domains. Philosophy and ethics can be delivered in various ways, but this is a natural direction for Leo to take these heavy subjects. He has the finesse and word mastery to float black-and-white ideologies in front of us while ensuring that the path to either of these is often intertwined. Add this to your collection. It is a piece of literature that helps you reflect on the human condition, divinity, the esoteric, and the miraculous.
Thank you for reading my poetry review on Leo Jenkins' "A WORD LIKE GOD". Please consider purchasing his book: here.