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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
It's a shame this book is so bad, because it tried really hard to be good.
I just can't get behind so many one-sentence poems. A one-sentence poem should be powerful, poignant, and promising. A book full of empty one-sentence poems is weak, meaningless, and disappointing. It is also lazy.
Additionally, the poor grammar used throughout the book was extremely frustrating. I think the author intended for it to be stylistic, but it was distracting and overused. Too many sentences read like so: "To discover that the aliens, can look just like you." That comma did not make me read the sentence with rhythmic purpose, but made me stop and cross my eyes as my brain sizzled just a little bit.
Commas aside, the poems were self-important, as if stating facts could make the author a genius. "You can't bleed forever./ Sooner or later, you will either die or live." I understand. Now tell me something I've never heard before. Or if it's been said before (likely), then say it in a way I've never heard it. Say it with a cadence I've never felt, words I've never used, or imagery I've never seen.
There was, at least, scattered potential throughout the book. The Line Between Madness and Life, although poorly executed, teased me with the philosophy of whether or not it's important that love is a chemical. If done well, I think this poem could capture me, hold me hostage, and release me to the world again with a new appreciation for life. But it didn't, and that's a serious shame.
In a 202-paged book, there was only one poem I truly enjoyed. I will leave it for you here, so you don't have to read the rest of the book to find it.
The Soft Crackle
Yet love's like a needle on a record, taking parts of you away as it draws sharply and constantly across the heart, in slow descending circles, just to hear a song hidden in the scratches one more time.
I just can't get behind so many one-sentence poems. A one-sentence poem should be powerful, poignant, and promising. A book full of empty one-sentence poems is weak, meaningless, and disappointing. It is also lazy.
Additionally, the poor grammar used throughout the book was extremely frustrating. I think the author intended for it to be stylistic, but it was distracting and overused. Too many sentences read like so: "To discover that the aliens, can look just like you." That comma did not make me read the sentence with rhythmic purpose, but made me stop and cross my eyes as my brain sizzled just a little bit.
Commas aside, the poems were self-important, as if stating facts could make the author a genius. "You can't bleed forever./ Sooner or later, you will either die or live." I understand. Now tell me something I've never heard before. Or if it's been said before (likely), then say it in a way I've never heard it. Say it with a cadence I've never felt, words I've never used, or imagery I've never seen.
There was, at least, scattered potential throughout the book. The Line Between Madness and Life, although poorly executed, teased me with the philosophy of whether or not it's important that love is a chemical. If done well, I think this poem could capture me, hold me hostage, and release me to the world again with a new appreciation for life. But it didn't, and that's a serious shame.
In a 202-paged book, there was only one poem I truly enjoyed. I will leave it for you here, so you don't have to read the rest of the book to find it.
The Soft Crackle
Yet love's like a needle on a record, taking parts of you away as it draws sharply and constantly across the heart, in slow descending circles, just to hear a song hidden in the scratches one more time.
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
fast-paced
Not as good as I remember the last collection being but it could just be me. Anyways I did have some favorites: The Illusion of Things Never Changing, The Fellow Passenger on a Crashing Train, The Ambassador of Bad Things, The Hands You Gave Me, and a handful of others.
Also to note is some of the photos repeat (at different angles) in this collection. I don’t remember that from last time.
Also to note is some of the photos repeat (at different angles) in this collection. I don’t remember that from last time.
I didn't enjoy this one as much as 'I wrote this for you', I'm not sure why, but I couldn't connect with the structure of the poems anymore... I wish I enjoyed it more, though. Maybe I'll try to re-read it at some point.
reflective
A heart was meant to beat. And air was meant to be breathed, close to your ear. And your skin was meant to remember what mine felt like. And some songs were meant to play on repeat. And the sun was meant to come down. And we were meant to ignore it when it woke up. And days were meant to pass. And nights were meant to follow. And your eyes were meant to cry out whatever pain was left.
And I never meant to hurt you.
But I guess that’s what everyone says.
THE DESCENT INTO LIGHT
If you’re not afraid, there is no end, only an imminent bliss. So burn like love and love like fire.
Though there were some diamonds in the rough, the poetry in this book oftentimes felt clumsy and wavering as if the author was was not sure-footed on what exactly they wanted the reader to experience.
I loved the first installment, but these were just terrible cliches packaged as life advice and delivered as "poetry." Just because you neglect punctuation and add random line breaks doesn't make it poetry.