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jesshooves's review against another edition
“A nation of no one trickle north and the / long arm of empire it whips back. I am a good swimmer. I’ve / always loved the sea.” —From “conversations from empire”
aarikdanielsen's review against another edition
3.0
More like a 3.5. Worth reading for the poem "testament, a litany for many voices" alone.
jayisreading's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Sometimes you pick up a collection and find from the very start, you find a flow that keeps you moving to the end of the journey. Wadud found such a great rhythm that is very reminiscent of being out at sea, which happens to be a recurring image throughout this collection. Some poems rocked gently, while others showed the wrath of the waters. There’s much to think about in these poems, reflecting on borders, migration, and belonging.
Some favorites: “conversations from empire,” “young warblers, golden plovers, loons,” and “my little nothings form a mouth”
Read for the Sealey Challenge.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
dfparizeau's review against another edition
4.5
Thank you to Kora for the reco.
I don't feel like I can fully express how wonderful this collection is. The myriad of ways that Wadud uses repeated words and lines to construct deeply epistemological pieces leaves me awe-struck.
I don't feel like I can fully express how wonderful this collection is. The myriad of ways that Wadud uses repeated words and lines to construct deeply epistemological pieces leaves me awe-struck.
hannahvwarren's review against another edition
4.0
"...I make a list of all the things
that can ride the back of a swan. There would be a feral kitten,
my sister born at six months, there would be a little mole, a
plum, a bucket of berries, a sliver of Montana. A pearl too
close to the sun. There would be a supple star."
Wadud's poetry is beautiful and evocative and heartbreaking.
that can ride the back of a swan. There would be a feral kitten,
my sister born at six months, there would be a little mole, a
plum, a bucket of berries, a sliver of Montana. A pearl too
close to the sun. There would be a supple star."
Wadud's poetry is beautiful and evocative and heartbreaking.
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