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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
As I was reading this collection, Akbar’s poems often felt to me wounded, perhaps even to the point of self-loathing. Yet at the same time they felt innocent, too, full of awe and wonder at the world we live in. And yet it all felt of a piece.
I'm becoming more a vessel of memories than a person
it's a myth
that love lives in the heart
it lives in the throat we push it out
when we speak
when we gasp we take a little for ourselves
Extremely profound and amazing, heartfelt and raw collection of poetry.
Some of my favourite poems were; Heritage, Yeki blood Yeki Nabood, Calling a Wolf a Wolf, Stop me if you heard this one before, Portrait of the alcoholic with doubt and kingfisher, Desunt Monnulla, Portrait of the alcoholic three weeks sober, An apology...
Okay i was going to list all of my favourite poems but at this point this is getting absurd. I just really love this book, ok? Its amazing.
Performed pain is still pain
it's a myth
that love lives in the heart
it lives in the throat we push it out
when we speak
when we gasp we take a little for ourselves
Extremely profound and amazing, heartfelt and raw collection of poetry.
Some of my favourite poems were; Heritage, Yeki blood Yeki Nabood, Calling a Wolf a Wolf, Stop me if you heard this one before, Portrait of the alcoholic with doubt and kingfisher, Desunt Monnulla, Portrait of the alcoholic three weeks sober, An apology...
Okay i was going to list all of my favourite poems but at this point this is getting absurd. I just really love this book, ok? Its amazing.
Performed pain is still pain
An instant favorite.
I liked following the thread of how relationship to language changes through time and place: "I don't understand the words / I babble in home movies from Tehran but I assume / they were lovely I have always been a tangle of tongue and pretty want" (from "Every Drunk Wants to Die Sober It's How We Beat The Game")
I like the reoccurring imagery of love/soul being stuck in the throat: "it's a myth that love lives in the heart / it lives in the throat we push it out when we speak / when we gasp we take a little for ourselves" (from "Heritage")
I like the different ways "wild" nature is portrayed: "sometimes if I'm silent for long enough even the wild around me stops moving" (from "Thirstiness is not Equal Division")
I like that addiction/alcoholism is woven together with life as a whole, not presented separately in a neat package: "to make life first you need a dying star / this seems important with you so close to collapsing yourself" (from "Portrait of the Alcoholic with Moths and River")
I have too many highlights to include all my favorite lines.
"As long as the earth continues its stony breathing, I will breathe. / When it stops, I will shatter back into gravity. Into quartz." (from "Rimrock")
A friend recommended this to me on Twitter when I posted about being a few books short of my 2020 reading goal. I'm very grateful that I tweeted, that she recommended, and that it was immediately available for me to download from the library.
I do dislike reading poetry digitally, so I'll be buying a copy for myself. (Note: the Kindle sometimes formats stuff weirdly, so I'll blame any errors in line breaks on that)
I liked following the thread of how relationship to language changes through time and place: "I don't understand the words / I babble in home movies from Tehran but I assume / they were lovely I have always been a tangle of tongue and pretty want" (from "Every Drunk Wants to Die Sober It's How We Beat The Game")
I like the reoccurring imagery of love/soul being stuck in the throat: "it's a myth that love lives in the heart / it lives in the throat we push it out when we speak / when we gasp we take a little for ourselves" (from "Heritage")
I like the different ways "wild" nature is portrayed: "sometimes if I'm silent for long enough even the wild around me stops moving" (from "Thirstiness is not Equal Division")
I like that addiction/alcoholism is woven together with life as a whole, not presented separately in a neat package: "to make life first you need a dying star / this seems important with you so close to collapsing yourself" (from "Portrait of the Alcoholic with Moths and River")
I have too many highlights to include all my favorite lines.
"As long as the earth continues its stony breathing, I will breathe. / When it stops, I will shatter back into gravity. Into quartz." (from "Rimrock")
A friend recommended this to me on Twitter when I posted about being a few books short of my 2020 reading goal. I'm very grateful that I tweeted, that she recommended, and that it was immediately available for me to download from the library.
I do dislike reading poetry digitally, so I'll be buying a copy for myself. (Note: the Kindle sometimes formats stuff weirdly, so I'll blame any errors in line breaks on that)
This collection of poems paints a visceral picture of addiction, guilt, change, longing and the intertwined grief of loss that sometimes is the harbinger of these vices. I loved the three acts of the book and how they progressively describe the journey of an addict through all their stages. Some of my favorite themes included the immigrant experience, the importance of naming things, asking for grace and forgiveness, learning to live and love and be grateful. This is a book I will carry in my heart for a long time.
2023 is the year of rereads for me because I only brought 20 books with me to my new home.
So of course I had to pick up this one. Arguably (actually not arguably, literally) the single most influential book of my poetic career. Not a single other boon has shifted the way I write more than this one. Akbars poetry resonated with me in a way I want to resonate with others. Rereading it felt like coming home. Onto his new book next!
So of course I had to pick up this one. Arguably (actually not arguably, literally) the single most influential book of my poetic career. Not a single other boon has shifted the way I write more than this one. Akbars poetry resonated with me in a way I want to resonate with others. Rereading it felt like coming home. Onto his new book next!
I started reading this ages ago and cannot remember why I set it down but I remember having high expectations when I picked up this collection, and it met every one.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Every time I come back to this collection I love it a little bit more. Each reading brings new understandings and new awe, and I heartily recommend this to any/everybody.
These poems are technically brilliant. I love Akbar’s voice and the vivid images he constructs. Personally, none of the poems deeply resonated with me, but that’s purely a reflection of myself and has nothing to do with how incredible Akbar’s poetry is.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced