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lsparrow's review
2.0
I could not get into the poetry - perhaps i would enjoye this poetry more in performance
mspearlman's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
thecolourblue's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Being neither Black nor American, I'm pretty sure I'm missing at least 70% of the cultural and linguistic context of these poems. What Kearney is doing with language and vernacular is very clever and fun and drawing from a rich aural heritage. I wish I understood more of the references than I do because I know it would make this collection even more enjoyable.
For the poems that I did get a better grasp of, such as First, She Cuts The Stems and Eulogy of a Pair of Kicks, there is a violence that bleeds through Kearney's word-playfulness to hint at the rawness below.
For the poems that I did get a better grasp of, such as First, She Cuts The Stems and Eulogy of a Pair of Kicks, there is a violence that bleeds through Kearney's word-playfulness to hint at the rawness below.
“Systems are the end of a rope and the rope. Measure and border between out, in. What desire’s entwined there.
A, say, Black woman cuts peaches down: A paring knife will do the trick. Orchard to house:
A booming taxonomic doing.
Systems are frictions that flimflam as liquids. They abrade skin. In some systems, skins are tenor.”
I would love to see some of these poems spoken in performace by the author, they seem much more suited to that medium than to a written collection.
monicayk97's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
mxpringle's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
2.5
Kearney has a masterful grasp of language and uses it in ways that are entirely unconventional, but add to the overall effect of his poetry and performances. With that being said, I think that his performances of these poems are way more impactful than just reading them in a collection of his work, so I think the format took away from his work as a whole.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Gun violence and Racism
aliberry's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
dreesreads's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Poetry collection looking at the African-American/American experience. Kearney uses wordplay, which means there are layers to understand--much of which I didn't. He references music, TV/movies, history, of course other poets, and more. My favorite here was "Eulogy for a Pair of Kicks", which I did understand. The wordplay is fantastic and if the other poems are similar (I suspect they are), this is a strong collection.