Take a photo of a barcode or cover
emotional
sad
challenging
emotional
Some poems I had already read in Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth made its reappearance but they felt overworked and I liked the originals a lot better. A few new poems were misses for me but I think overall I would've enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn't read TMMHTGB first.
An unrung bell, an uncalled prayer, bless this child born on sorrow's palm
reflective
sad
slow-paced
"I’ll rewrite this whole life and this time there’ll be so much love,
you won't be able to see beyond it."
I think I expected this to be different. I came in thinking it would be a dive into an open wound, but what it is is a brush over well-worn memories. Like an old photograph, and the awareness that you are holding the photograph and not standing inside of it still. Like saying "Here: there was once a raging fire, and now I am sifting through fragments of the ashes." If this is a wish, it is an echo of an echo of a wish, remnants of a time when things stumbled over each other on their way through the door, and there was still the shining thought that a pebble in the right place could kick up something new. If this is a eulogy, it is of a thing that has long been dead, finally being laid to rest.
Shire writes concisely, her words a scalpel, steady and exact, sure of where to cut.
you won't be able to see beyond it."
I think I expected this to be different. I came in thinking it would be a dive into an open wound, but what it is is a brush over well-worn memories. Like an old photograph, and the awareness that you are holding the photograph and not standing inside of it still. Like saying "Here: there was once a raging fire, and now I am sifting through fragments of the ashes." If this is a wish, it is an echo of an echo of a wish, remnants of a time when things stumbled over each other on their way through the door, and there was still the shining thought that a pebble in the right place could kick up something new. If this is a eulogy, it is of a thing that has long been dead, finally being laid to rest.
Shire writes concisely, her words a scalpel, steady and exact, sure of where to cut.
“Backwards” remains one of the coolest poems I’ve ever read.
The lines, “I’ll rewrite this whole life and this time there’ll be so much love, you won’t be able to see beyond it,” perpetually creep back into my brain at random intervals.
I find it difficult to read poetry books in a single sitting because every idea feels so separate, but these flowed well and many were similar enough in theme that I was able to.
“Teaching my mother how to give birth” has been on my to-read list since 2017 so I’m glad another year hasn’t gone by with my failing to read a collection of Shire’s work.
The lines, “I’ll rewrite this whole life and this time there’ll be so much love, you won’t be able to see beyond it,” perpetually creep back into my brain at random intervals.
I find it difficult to read poetry books in a single sitting because every idea feels so separate, but these flowed well and many were similar enough in theme that I was able to.
“Teaching my mother how to give birth” has been on my to-read list since 2017 so I’m glad another year hasn’t gone by with my failing to read a collection of Shire’s work.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced