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lleullawgyffes's review against another edition
4.25
“A month of dust. You
want to cling to being,
want to go before the snap
and still press your face into
the life mask.”
(from “About a White City”)
want to cling to being,
want to go before the snap
and still press your face into
the life mask.”
(from “About a White City”)
venneh's review against another edition
4.0
I liked his second collection (and read that first) enough that I decided to pick this up. This one is a little bit more unfocused compared to the second collection, but it’s also more raw emotionally, and you can see the seed of themes from that second collection here. Definitely worth picking up.
starnosedmole's review against another edition
3.0
Recommended for fans of Claudia Rankine's poetry.
elise_lh's review against another edition
4.0
“the bathtub’s cold lip / becomes a body to embrace. I pray for reprieve, / numb convection.”
jessferg's review against another edition
3.0
I'm fascinated by these poems even though I only understand about a half dozen (and the three stars simply reflects that confusion on my part.)
There's something Reed does here with recognizable words that turns them into a new language. The highlight is that whatever he's done, it emphasizes how volatile and emotional a simple word - or sound - can be. How it engages our senses, almost involuntarily, and transmits some meaning we may not even be able to grasp. Unfortunately, Reed's language doesn't come with a translator and so at times the reader is lost in a sea of Reed's very personal connections and emotions that we may not share.
I've probably spent hours over the last year or so that I've owned this book just contemplating phrases like "...dust of my flagellation pillows..." which seem like they're understandable until the next phrase catches you off guard because it doesn't go where you thought it was headed.
I don't know that I would generally call reading a "sensation" but these poems are definitely the strangest sensation to read.
Maybe I'll figure them out one day, but probably it doesn't matter if I do.
There's something Reed does here with recognizable words that turns them into a new language. The highlight is that whatever he's done, it emphasizes how volatile and emotional a simple word - or sound - can be. How it engages our senses, almost involuntarily, and transmits some meaning we may not even be able to grasp. Unfortunately, Reed's language doesn't come with a translator and so at times the reader is lost in a sea of Reed's very personal connections and emotions that we may not share.
I've probably spent hours over the last year or so that I've owned this book just contemplating phrases like "...dust of my flagellation pillows..." which seem like they're understandable until the next phrase catches you off guard because it doesn't go where you thought it was headed.
I don't know that I would generally call reading a "sensation" but these poems are definitely the strangest sensation to read.
Maybe I'll figure them out one day, but probably it doesn't matter if I do.
dreesreads's review against another edition
4.0
This collection focuses on life as a gay black man in America. I found the second half to be more poignant than the first--but maybe I got used to his style? Reed uses space on the page and word positioning very effectively. I liked this collection, though there were some poems I did not understand.
In the notes, he reveals more about his inspirations for specific poems, as well as other works referenced. I ended up re-reading several of these poems, as the info in the notes helped make more sense of them. In the acknowledgements he reveals that these poems were written while in the grip of depression, which I got from my reading, though I would have doubted my interpretation without his mentioning it.
In the notes, he reveals more about his inspirations for specific poems, as well as other works referenced. I ended up re-reading several of these poems, as the info in the notes helped make more sense of them. In the acknowledgements he reveals that these poems were written while in the grip of depression, which I got from my reading, though I would have doubted my interpretation without his mentioning it.
skitch41's review against another edition
3.0
In the last two years it feels as though that being anything other than a straight white man has been under assault in this country. This small collection of poetry attempts to express in words the pent up anger and frustration that being an “other” in America feels like. Not all of the poetry lands as Mr. Reed is a little too experimental for my tastes at times. However, a couple of the poems such as “The Fratricide,” “Consent,” and “The Day _______ Died” make a real statement about race and gender relations in the present. This collection may not have some of my favorite poems, but a few do make you sit up and take notice.