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therisingtithes's review
5.0
Finding words for poems that are as bright as burst stars and as sharp as polished knives can often be incredibly difficult. Such is the case with this. Some poetry grabs you by the shoulders and insists that you listen; this collection, however, is an alluring figure under the shadow of a street lamp, beckoning you close to it, eager to whisper itself to you while your neck is exposed. Do you want to take that risk? You don't want to, but you should. Trust me. Whatever happens, you will not regret it.
sakeriver's review
5.0
There is so much to be found in this amazing collection. There is pain and brutality, yes, a bearing of witness that feels necessary and profound. But there is also more than that. There is a levity that comes in poems like "I See That Lilith Hath Been With Thee Again." There is tenderness and a reaching toward joy, or at least joy's possibility. As poet Richard Georges once said about this book, "[Ramlochan] has this unflinching way of just peeling back the layers and dimensions of her soul that is just arresting." What a colossal work this collection is. I'm happy to give it my highest recommendation!
half_book_and_co's review
5.0
After all these years, I still stumble when reviewing poetry, especially poetry I love. Because with poetry it's not only about themes, about words and craft, but also so much about feeling the rhythm and the way little turns of phrases just speak to you...
In any way, I followed Kiki's recommendation (which is always a good pathway) and read Shivanee Ramlochan's poetry collection "Everyone Knows I Am A Haunting".
In an interview with Wasafiri - which is a very worthwhile read in its entirety - Ramlochan implores:
Ramlochan creates singular, memorable voices which sing together in a collective; a collective of those ostracized, belittled, marginalized in a heteronormative and patriarchal society. These poems are inherently queer and they touch upon topics such as abortion and rape. Ramlochan weaves together different cultural influences and imagery and gives the poems a depth which makes me want to read them over and over again. These poems are complex offerings representing and interrogating a complex world; sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes triumphant.
In any way, I followed Kiki's recommendation (which is always a good pathway) and read Shivanee Ramlochan's poetry collection "Everyone Knows I Am A Haunting".
In an interview with Wasafiri - which is a very worthwhile read in its entirety - Ramlochan implores:
I reject the non-Caribbean fetishizing of queer Caribbean resilience. People who live outside the gender binary, outside heteronormative desire, have been doing so in Caribbean space, long before I was a tendril in my mother’s womb. What a fallacy it is for young queer people in the region to think their survival is more spectacular or more audacious than that of the queer communities preceding them. LGBTQI people have been on these islands, loving, resisting, going to market and paying bills, raising children and raising hell, for forever. It’s past the time to write about them. It’s *been* time. What kind of coward would I be, if I didn’t lend my queer voice to that?
Ramlochan creates singular, memorable voices which sing together in a collective; a collective of those ostracized, belittled, marginalized in a heteronormative and patriarchal society. These poems are inherently queer and they touch upon topics such as abortion and rape. Ramlochan weaves together different cultural influences and imagery and gives the poems a depth which makes me want to read them over and over again. These poems are complex offerings representing and interrogating a complex world; sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes triumphant.
3vi333's review
5.0
in the courtyard, all our throats are burst figs.
each cry is its own tyrant.
breaks mark the pulse of entrail-love, cooing in yellowfish.
each cry is its own tyrant.
breaks mark the pulse of entrail-love, cooing in yellowfish.
absent_o_minded's review
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
5.0
This poetry collection was just phenomenal. Speculative poetry always has compelling prospects as a form of poetry, but Ramlochan's execution, in which the myths are derived from Hindu and Trinidadian folklore/mythology and, results in something truly remarkable. The deities and creatures from these myths are both interwoven and interact themselves with ideas surrounding gender, sexuality, generational trauma and colonialism, in what really can only be described as a hauntingly emotional journey. Divided into three acts, the reader is presented with the beats of a fantasy protagonist (The beginning incident, the struggle for survival, and the after-persistence to live) but with the distinctive presence of these lingering spirits, who accompany both the speaker and the reader throughout. After some of the poems, I genuinely had to just sit there, or take a break in order to ruminate on them.
Really, it is hard to describe. I'm starting to learn that you cannot always articulate your reaction to poetry, and that there shouldn't always be a need to define it. During my reading, I mostly let the poems exist on their own visceral strength and gorgeous writing, and added many 'oh my god' or 'this is beautiful's or 'this is devastating' along the way.
I would also like to thank this anthology for leading me on a little rabbit hole of research about Hindu mythology and festival's - I spent a great evening learning about something new, which I love.
Really, it is hard to describe. I'm starting to learn that you cannot always articulate your reaction to poetry, and that there shouldn't always be a need to define it. During my reading, I mostly let the poems exist on their own visceral strength and gorgeous writing, and added many 'oh my god' or 'this is beautiful's or 'this is devastating' along the way.
I would also like to thank this anthology for leading me on a little rabbit hole of research about Hindu mythology and festival's - I spent a great evening learning about something new, which I love.