The Introverted Bookworm

I’m still uncertain whether this collection depressing or liberating? Nihilistic or inspiring? Or all of these things put together? One thing is certain: the writing is raw and visceral, dark, gritty, reminiscent, in my opinion, of Sylvia Plath’s poetry.  I loved it!

“Carrying the past through the present” is the first haunting poem. There is a black dog watching a man from a ground floor flat (it follows him wherever he goes), an eerie and menacing metaphor (“Today the black dog is back/they watch each other through the dirty window.”) There is also one where a man murders his wife, prompted by a seductive apparition, because “Any price is small when the thing I get for it is you.”

These poems suck the reader in, imparting compelling stories, not shying away from the darker sides of ourselves and others. It’s like being wrapped in an anti-security blanket, unsettling the reader, challenging them. “Eternal love and fruit flies” tells of a couple, “dead inside,” to all intents and purposes, but happy nonetheless, because “Even if we’re dead, at least we’re dead together.” This new dark take on true look took my breath away.

There is also a lot here about the poet’s motivation to write, and the catharsis of the writing process, as well as the pain that acts as fodder to poets and artists. In “license for madness,” for example, artists are even described as suffering from madness, with the artistic process acting as a lifeline: “You either bite into your own soul and rip pieces apart and spit them into the face of the world or you don’t.” Creating is an act of survival.

All in all, this is a powerful and visceral collection, asking us to reflect on what we see when we look into the dark corner, after seeing things through the poet’s lens.

What a great time I’ve had reading this collection! Have you guys read any poetry recently? Hope you all have a fab week!