Review of "Kung Fu: The Master, the Book of Kitabu," by Vernon Kitabu Turner

 Review of

Kung Fu: The Master, the Book of Kitabu, by Vernon Kitabu Turner, ISBN 9781937907655

Five out of five stars

Poems that express the martial arts mentality

 Poetry can be used to express the complete spectrum of human activity, from emotional strain to observing the natural world. In the hands of a master, even the standard daily actions of a human can be made profound, interesting and entertaining.

 The author is a martial arts master, and this collection of poems expresses the mentality associated with a master. All are short, few extend beyond a single page. There is a wide spectrum of topics, my favorite is on page 95 and the title is “Black Lives Matter.” The first few lines are:

Surely all lives matter,

That is a given truth

But when black lives are routinely

Taken under suspicious circumstances

And there is no justice despite overwhelming

Evidence to the guilt of

white police perpetrators,

The cry black lives matter

Means black lives matter too.

 The last line is the most important point. When the phrase “Black lives matter” is stated, there are some that interpret it as diminishing the lives of others. That is not the case, the word “too” is implied.

 These poems have the form and cadence of what one would expect a person in martial arts to create. They grip you in the way a martial arts master would barely touch you but put you on the ground.