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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Sarah Kay's poems are a mix of simplicity and beauty. The words/language used is easy and not at all difficult, but the metaphors are so beautiful and so full of meaning. It'll leave you in deep thought thus making a memorable reading experience. This is the kind of contemporary poetry that I'd want to read.
“There are places where fishnets do not mean stockings,
where the learning happens in between moments, like after
a wave passes, and you break the surface gasping for air.”
- Montauk
“When the
hurt remains, you, dearest friend,
will recognize my limp. You will
whimper with me, fully. You will
return with me to the hot sand,
to the menacing gulls, to the water
sweeping us into new and better days.”
- Slivers
“Leaving is an easy art to learn. But the
advanced steps—the pirouettes and arabesques
are difficult to master.”
- The Moves
“But I want her to know that this world is made out of sugar:
it can crumble so easily, but don’t be afraid
to stick your tongue out and taste it.”
“And always apologize when you’ve done something wrong.
But don’t you ever apologize for the way
your eyes refuse to stop shining;
your voice is small, but don’t ever stop singing.”
- B
“Let the statues crumble.
You have always been the place.
“You are a woman who can build it yourself.
You were born to build.”
- The Type
“There are places where fishnets do not mean stockings,
where the learning happens in between moments, like after
a wave passes, and you break the surface gasping for air.”
- Montauk
“When the
hurt remains, you, dearest friend,
will recognize my limp. You will
whimper with me, fully. You will
return with me to the hot sand,
to the menacing gulls, to the water
sweeping us into new and better days.”
- Slivers
“Leaving is an easy art to learn. But the
advanced steps—the pirouettes and arabesques
are difficult to master.”
- The Moves
“But I want her to know that this world is made out of sugar:
it can crumble so easily, but don’t be afraid
to stick your tongue out and taste it.”
“And always apologize when you’ve done something wrong.
But don’t you ever apologize for the way
your eyes refuse to stop shining;
your voice is small, but don’t ever stop singing.”
- B
“Let the statues crumble.
You have always been the place.
“You are a woman who can build it yourself.
You were born to build.”
- The Type
I loved this so much and found it very inspirational. Sarah Kay's poems are questions, forcing you to consider the world in which you exist and why it matters to you. I read it on the plane while going to a place that I shouldn't call home, and at an art gallery, and a in a high up cupe of concrete and it was utterly lovely. These are poems to share and poems to cherish and poems you need in your life.
When you need a break from fiction, pick up a book about poetry. It allows you to feel emotions and ideas. Sarah Kay, best known for her TED Talk, is a brilliant poet who speaks about emotions and life events in a way of imagery.
Definitely listen to the audio book! It adds so much to the writing to hear the poems read by Sarah Kay. The second half of the book (sections 5 and on) are much better than the first half in my opinion, but all of it is good.
Since Sarah Kay is a spoken-word author, I would have preferred to see her performing the poems in this collection than just reading them. They work better that way.
I only give this four stars instead of five because I love the sound of her voice so much, and I feel there's something missing when I only read the words on the page.
I was so excited to start reading this book after having seen Sarah Kay perform her poems B and The Type (which are included), but they were the only poems in this book I liked. I read half of the poems in the book and found I didn't like any of them. They all seemed more like memoirs or anecdotes and not poetry. I flipped through the rest of the book looking for something that could genuinely be considered poetry and found nothing. I would have rated it higher if it hadn't been sold to me as poetry. The memoirs were well written and pleasant to read, but I would have liked to read something insightful. Instead, I got cryptically written anecdotes that didn't touch me in any way or make me think like poetry should. The cover was beautiful and the book contained illustrations that seem to match up with some of the poems. However, I would not recommend to anyone looking for poetry. But the poems in this book are better spoken and do not come across as well written poetry on paper. I, unfortunately, will be returning the book.