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A review by jaduhluhdabooks
Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human by Cole Arthur Riley
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Cole Arthur Riley takes the soul of a Black person and heals it with words that are balm to wounds that have closed over time and time again, but never really found safety in rebinding the roots and the skin there.
My heart has been nourished with how Riley entertained poetry to prayer and how inviting the space is for all who seek solace and comfort in knowness.
As someone who grew up in the church, was recklessly deceived by it, and has been searching for a way back, these words found their way home to me. I cried, I smiled, and I remembered and I cared about who I was then and who I am becoming. I have since found communities that are rich in faith and care, but this was different. This was whole and these responses when done individually were rectifying, so I can only imagine how whole they are in community.
Cole is attentive to heart and mind and body and combines them all to create a narrative that welcomes and soothes and binds. I felt rebounded and that is a solidifying feeling. To feel safe in your Black skin again. To know that you are indeed made beautifully and wonderfully, not mistakenly nor less than how differently is supposed to show up. I feel bold and new and proud. I feel whole.
My heart has been nourished with how Riley entertained poetry to prayer and how inviting the space is for all who seek solace and comfort in knowness.
As someone who grew up in the church, was recklessly deceived by it, and has been searching for a way back, these words found their way home to me. I cried, I smiled, and I remembered and I cared about who I was then and who I am becoming. I have since found communities that are rich in faith and care, but this was different. This was whole and these responses when done individually were rectifying, so I can only imagine how whole they are in community.
Cole is attentive to heart and mind and body and combines them all to create a narrative that welcomes and soothes and binds. I felt rebounded and that is a solidifying feeling. To feel safe in your Black skin again. To know that you are indeed made beautifully and wonderfully, not mistakenly nor less than how differently is supposed to show up. I feel bold and new and proud. I feel whole.