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Title: 55 Reflections of a Searching Skeptic:  Explore the Faith Journey of a Poetic Bipolar Believer
Author: Rich Melcher
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978-1728312361
Genre: Religion / Spirituality
Pages: 168
Reviewed by: Barbara Bamberger Scott
Pacific Book Review
Poetry, humor, illustrations, a personal examination of mental challenges along with a
deep grasp of spiritual matters infuse this big, readable work by Rich Melcher.
Comprising 55 reflections and two “postscripts,” Melcher’s collection is an enjoyable,
random ramble through events of his life, showing how major issues such as bipolar
disorder and Biblical truths have influenced him, along with significant encounters with
people along the way. In Reflection 4 he notes that, after hearing a homily from a
visiting priest about the way that sin “disfigures” us, he went to a shoe store where the
sales clerks had “glum faces,” a kind of disheartening disfigurement. By contrast, he
then went on a home visit to a mother with many challenges, who showed her inner
strength by smiling, showing him that she was “transfigured.” Reflection 20 introduces
Melcher’s RROCKSS Code, a strategy for channeling energies and conducting one’s
life more positively: Respect, Responsibility, Observation, Cooperation, Knowledge,
Safety, and Service make up the Code, explained in detail with cogent examples from
the author’s experience.
Melcher has bipolar disorder, which has influenced many of his actions and choices,
including his choice of a profession. He has worked as a teacher among students with
special needs, and offers a lively description of some of the pitfalls of being a substitute
or assistant teacher in a poem aptly titled “The Tiger Without Any Teeth.” Another
especially moving poem is “Butterfly Blind Spot,” in which he observes that butterflies
never see their wings – “velvet Picasso banners” – identifying only by what they can do,
not what they are or the marvelous effect they might have on others. He urges the
reader to tell others of their hidden beauties. Such poems are not only brilliant in
metaphor but touching in their rich use of language.
Melcher has given himself the pen name “Corsair,” denoting the World War II fighter
plane as an image of uplift and freedom. The subject matter of his reflections is headspinning in its range. There is his wish, as a white person, to wear a revealing “African
Mask” and become in some way more black, seeing it as a kind of “emancipation.” And
in a totally different modality, he expresses his happiness at finding that Saint John, so
often touted for the verse 3:16 which seems exclusive in its message, also spoke of
“other sheep” – an inspiringly inclusive message. Melcher’s writing gifts are fully
developed here in this varied, thought-provoking collection, and his readers will hope for
more to come.