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A review by kovost
Mouthful of Forevers by Clementine von Radics
4.0
It's a given that this entire book was beautiful. The poetry was so fluid, so deep and heartfelt, and full of such a spectrum of emotions, I had to stop at points to catch my breath. There are words flat out, in your face and demanding to be seen and felt in your heart, and there are words in between every line that are softer, sadder and more fragile that echo around instead. Every single poem had so much power and every poem kept me enamored. I never lost interest, I never felt that the poetry was dry and dull, and I never felt that the repetitive motion of sadness took anything away from this book. In fact, I feel like it made its point and yet didn't come even close to expressing the sharpness of the teeth of these emotions.
It was sad, it was hopeful, it was bittersweet, it was angry, it was full of so much love. It was truly, deeply, a book full of words from the heart. It was everything I love about poetry.
So even though this entire book was so much—too much at times—I do have favorites that stood out more than others; favorites that I haven't stopped thinking about and had to read more than once just to keep the feeling because I want to memorize every word.
I Pity the Woman Who Will Love You When I Am Done
This poem was so full of so many emotions, I was overwhelmed in such a beautiful and terrible way. There is anger, there is sadness, there is indignation and acceptance, there is a bittersweet fire inside of these words that rocked me to my core.
This Year
God, this one was so beautiful. There is a soft, bittersweet feeling of hope inside of this one and such a gritty reminder at the same time. The good news is you survived. The bad news is you're hurt and no one can heal you but yourself. You just have to find a stiff drink and a clean needle before you bleed out. And then you get up. And start over.
You Have Six Tattoos
and I am ruined by every word of this poem
Same Moon
This is one of those soft poems that holds so much sadness and longing, but that reluctant acknowledgment that comes with trying to move on but still thinking back on the one you loved. You can't erase the existence of the people you loved and I think this poem highlighted the sharp angles of those emotions, and it hurt so much but it was almost relieving too.
On Healing
This one hurt so much—so, so much. The agonizing grief in these words still hurts me so much. Everything I see now is another thing you'll never see.
Salome Redux
The message and feminine pride in this poem is absolutely amazing. It took me a moment after finishing it to put the pieces together, I will admit, because it's like reading two different poems at the same time but at the end, it comes together and it makes so much sense and the power of it is a fist in your face. I loved this so much, I read it twice back to back to make sure I had every word.
Lolita Addresses Her Author
Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck, this one. It is what you think it is. It is a poem about Lolita, the book written by Vladimir
Nabokov. It is a message delivered in both a sharp, soft whisper and a scream at a deafening volume. It is everything that needs to be said about this book, about the concept of Lolita, about the fetishization and romanticizing, and I am still heavy with it.
How can I forgive you
for turning me into the poison
other daughters learn to swallow?
Mr. Vladimir, you set out
to create a monster,
but you created the wrong one.
It was sad, it was hopeful, it was bittersweet, it was angry, it was full of so much love. It was truly, deeply, a book full of words from the heart. It was everything I love about poetry.
So even though this entire book was so much—too much at times—I do have favorites that stood out more than others; favorites that I haven't stopped thinking about and had to read more than once just to keep the feeling because I want to memorize every word.
I Pity the Woman Who Will Love You When I Am Done
She will know
every corner of you
is haunted by me.
This poem was so full of so many emotions, I was overwhelmed in such a beautiful and terrible way. There is anger, there is sadness, there is indignation and acceptance, there is a bittersweet fire inside of these words that rocked me to my core.
This Year
God, this one was so beautiful. There is a soft, bittersweet feeling of hope inside of this one and such a gritty reminder at the same time. The good news is you survived. The bad news is you're hurt and no one can heal you but yourself. You just have to find a stiff drink and a clean needle before you bleed out. And then you get up. And start over.
You Have Six Tattoos
and I am ruined by every word of this poem
The truth is this:
Love is an organic thing.
It rots and softens.
— All That's Left to Tell
Same Moon
This is one of those soft poems that holds so much sadness and longing, but that reluctant acknowledgment that comes with trying to move on but still thinking back on the one you loved. You can't erase the existence of the people you loved and I think this poem highlighted the sharp angles of those emotions, and it hurt so much but it was almost relieving too.
On Healing
This one hurt so much—so, so much. The agonizing grief in these words still hurts me so much. Everything I see now is another thing you'll never see.
Salome Redux
The message and feminine pride in this poem is absolutely amazing. It took me a moment after finishing it to put the pieces together, I will admit, because it's like reading two different poems at the same time but at the end, it comes together and it makes so much sense and the power of it is a fist in your face. I loved this so much, I read it twice back to back to make sure I had every word.
I will love you when you are a still day.
I will love you when you are a hurricane.
— Mouthful of Forevers
Lolita Addresses Her Author
Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck, this one. It is what you think it is. It is a poem about Lolita, the book written by Vladimir
Nabokov. It is a message delivered in both a sharp, soft whisper and a scream at a deafening volume. It is everything that needs to be said about this book, about the concept of Lolita, about the fetishization and romanticizing, and I am still heavy with it.
How can I forgive you
for turning me into the poison
other daughters learn to swallow?
Mr. Vladimir, you set out
to create a monster,
but you created the wrong one.