Skinned Knees Broken Smiles Author:Christopher Farrell "Skinned Knees & Broken Smiles" is a concept book of poems that deal with all the emotions and the potential pitfalls that come with love. On first glance one would imagine that a concept poetry book dealing with this overused and overwrote about emotion would be one dimensional, but as a writer Christopher Farrell goes beneath the surface of th... more »e emotion and exposes the root. This as a result makes his writing at certain times as sensitive as a nerve ending. "She looks fresh as a daisy but believe me she is rotten to the core I never said you were, I wasn't the one to use the apt word; whore We are dead but I can still feel your blood running stealthy in my veins My wounds are all healed but like a ribbon scar your memory remains" A majority of the poems are lyrical in nature, but this is one of the styles Farrell uses to make you feel comfortable as you read, while in the same instant planting seeds of doubt, disillusionment & frustration with his uncomfortable rhyming couplets, jagged phrasing and his utter disregard for the conventional structure of poetry. A false sense of security is often created within his writing; sometimes the real message is only clear to be seen after one steps back and reads between the lines. "Tripping over thoughts and mumbled words but you understand My intensions towards you I wish I could hide like my joyful gland" "A hidden snapshot of yore vehemently lingers of a time passed Like a rotting corpse of the elephant in our room; never to be surpassed" Many poems within this collection are introspective but you get the impression that Farrell wants you to take whatever meaning you wish from his writings. Poems like "A Heart Weighed Down by Cupids Arrows", "The Bygone Epitome of My Valentine (M.B)", and "Post Script (a ribbon scar)" show Farrell at his prolific best expressing a mind that walks unashamedly hand in hand with confliction as much as serenity. His understanding of the components that are required for love to flourish and the shrewd & eloquent ways he delves within the emotional layers of heartache is truly fascinating.« less