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A review by fieldofhats
2am Thoughts by Makenzie Campbell
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
2.0
Most poems are generic, quippy lines about heartbreak or love. It’s not bad, necessarily, but it is boring and overdone. The premise was interesting and it kept me engaged, at least for a while — I was interested up until the poems passed 2 AM.
There were some decent ones. 5:23 PM reads, “Some songs seem to have people attached to them”, which is a fun and short metaphor to get across a complex feeling. 3:59 AM reads, “I indulge myself in a book because diving headfirst into another fantasy is so much more peaceful than living in this reality”, with an illustration of a book swimming pool, and that’s just relatable. 4:43 AM is equates the feeling of wind pressure you get from sticking your hand out of the window of a moving car to another person, and it’s a wonderful metaphor. There were also a couple that rhymed, like 4:36 AM, and even if they weren’t amazing I still appreciate a good rhyme.
Some poems, though, just aren’t very good at all. 3:36 AM reads, “I believe we are destined for one person on this earth. / But the sad truth is, we do not always end up finding them.” and it is followed by an illustration of two hearts connected on a globe. This is a toxic mindset for a multitude of reasons; to promote this is an unhealthy view of love and relationships, and it completely disregards the feelings and experiences of polyamorous people. Not great. 7:54 AM says, “you should never walk away and be content with that. If so, it was never love in the first place.” Ummm… no. Let’s not promote a one-sided view of love. It’s okay to say that you’ve never experienced any love that doesn’t immediately hurt, but to make a broad statement like that is just nonsensical.
If you want good post-modern poetry, this isn’t where you should go. There are plenty of post-modern poets who do exactly what Makenzie Campbell does but better.
Read in my 3rd year dorm room.
There were some decent ones. 5:23 PM reads, “Some songs seem to have people attached to them”, which is a fun and short metaphor to get across a complex feeling. 3:59 AM reads, “I indulge myself in a book because diving headfirst into another fantasy is so much more peaceful than living in this reality”, with an illustration of a book swimming pool, and that’s just relatable. 4:43 AM is equates the feeling of wind pressure you get from sticking your hand out of the window of a moving car to another person, and it’s a wonderful metaphor. There were also a couple that rhymed, like 4:36 AM, and even if they weren’t amazing I still appreciate a good rhyme.
Some poems, though, just aren’t very good at all. 3:36 AM reads, “I believe we are destined for one person on this earth. / But the sad truth is, we do not always end up finding them.” and it is followed by an illustration of two hearts connected on a globe. This is a toxic mindset for a multitude of reasons; to promote this is an unhealthy view of love and relationships, and it completely disregards the feelings and experiences of polyamorous people. Not great. 7:54 AM says, “you should never walk away and be content with that. If so, it was never love in the first place.” Ummm… no. Let’s not promote a one-sided view of love. It’s okay to say that you’ve never experienced any love that doesn’t immediately hurt, but to make a broad statement like that is just nonsensical.
If you want good post-modern poetry, this isn’t where you should go. There are plenty of post-modern poets who do exactly what Makenzie Campbell does but better.
Read in my 3rd year dorm room.