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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
My ex bought this book for me 3-4 years ago. At the time, I was pleasantly surprised by the obscurity of what they chose (a poet neither of us had ever heard of), but also a bit confused as to why this. I tried to read it a few times, but I never got very far. Other books on my list took precedence. Looking back now, I think I was unable (or unwilling) to make sense of the overarching narrative across poems: a love falling apart. Or maybe I am manufacturing that explanation now. Maybe my newfound appreciation of it is simply nostalgia or an attempt to rewrite the past. I also have an older copy, with notes written in it from the past owner, which made it feel loved and worn-in.
Some favorite lines:
"We both undo the loose belts of / Our shadows, our trench coats, our bodies, here with you... / It's really never boring. Not today, no, and not even before yesterday."
"I didn't leave all that, all that / left me."
"Somebody says, I know you as I know myself, because loneliness / and your mouth are both such cruel mirrors."
Overall, I like this book more than I otherwise would because of my personal connection to it, i.e. how I got it as a gift and how I read my own past relationship into it. I'm not sure I would've liked it otherwise, as the poetry style isn't what I normally gravitate toward and in some plays strays into over-philosophizing or self-pity. But it is a good read, and I did like it more than expected.
Some favorite lines:
"We both undo the loose belts of / Our shadows, our trench coats, our bodies, here with you... / It's really never boring. Not today, no, and not even before yesterday."
"I didn't leave all that, all that / left me."
"Somebody says, I know you as I know myself, because loneliness / and your mouth are both such cruel mirrors."
Overall, I like this book more than I otherwise would because of my personal connection to it, i.e. how I got it as a gift and how I read my own past relationship into it. I'm not sure I would've liked it otherwise, as the poetry style isn't what I normally gravitate toward and in some plays strays into over-philosophizing or self-pity. But it is a good read, and I did like it more than expected.