Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Back in 1993 Cross Rhythms reviewed Godfrey's Breaking The Chains book of poems and commented that "Britain has another wordsmith to put alongside the Steve Turners and Stuart Hendersons." Now that book has been expanded so that alongside those witty, incisive, thought-provoking works we've got another batch to take us up to 2000. Their range is dazzling - an encounter with a cathedral official in Florence who demands Godfrey remove his straw hat so that "my balding head is cruelly exposed to His minute examination"; the passing of an elderly church saint; telly advertising pitched at kids; the Magi (one of four telling poems for Christmas); or a chilling fantasy of Judas calling room service. Here is a poet with the cultural savy to lambast the absurdities of our culture yet the maturity to espy the Father in the minutiae of all our lives.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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