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Quiet
by Victoria Adukwei Bulley
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
An incredibly strong collection of poems centering around the black body and its stance in the world, its posture. The way it holds itself up beyond the many ways it is brought down.
Bulley here focuses on sound. Rhythm. Through the noise, diagetic and non-diagetic, she explores the vacuum in which meanings are contained. How those meanings can explode and create structures, forms. Even give nothingness a sound. She can even give silence a rounded feeling, a soul.
"𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢-
𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨."
It's through repeated themes of this silence, the white noise of it, is she able to create a symphony of feelings that involve the beauty of the black experience.
"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵." - Zora Neale Hurston.
"𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺, 𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦." - Toni Morrison
Then, Bulley not only understands music. No, she doesn't just listen to it, she feels it. She feels it from her bones, lets it course through her until she is music herself.
Bulley here focuses on sound. Rhythm. Through the noise, diagetic and non-diagetic, she explores the vacuum in which meanings are contained. How those meanings can explode and create structures, forms. Even give nothingness a sound. She can even give silence a rounded feeling, a soul.
"𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢-
𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨."
It's through repeated themes of this silence, the white noise of it, is she able to create a symphony of feelings that involve the beauty of the black experience.
"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵." - Zora Neale Hurston.
"𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺, 𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦." - Toni Morrison
Then, Bulley not only understands music. No, she doesn't just listen to it, she feels it. She feels it from her bones, lets it course through her until she is music herself.