seoltang's review
5.0
‚Heaven or This‘ is the poetry collection of a girl who finds new, undiscovered paths in her love and is not afraid to spill the whole story. and with whole story i mean the dusty nooks of „do you have a boyfriend yet?“ and „you are such good friends“ because Topaz Winters is a girl who loves girls, „who loves girls so deeply that it feels like loving doves or knives“.
it might confuse you when i say that i found this collection not to be entirely about love. instead, the poems reveal just as much about the softness of Winters and the unconditional journey she is on. never did i imagine to stumble upon words that are raw in their sincerity, but no less heartbreaking. in her piece ‚The Rememberings‘ she expresses what i am trying to capture in this review: „Say it soft— / heroic sacrifice. Political statement. Say it like / nail-polished fingers that never fit together.“
the act of girls loving girls is revolutionary. we have existed for centuries, forever, but still we are revolutionary – by existing we are rebelling. in light of the recent events in Orlando and the hate crime against the lgbt community, this counts more than ever. „Name this triumph in living“ , Winters continues in the same poem and leaves me gutted.
in 'Heaven or This' i found strength, and peace, and i have thought about it more than once since i laid it down. Winters created a collection full of warmth and believe me when i say that i am truly looking forward to more of her fearless work.
it might confuse you when i say that i found this collection not to be entirely about love. instead, the poems reveal just as much about the softness of Winters and the unconditional journey she is on. never did i imagine to stumble upon words that are raw in their sincerity, but no less heartbreaking. in her piece ‚The Rememberings‘ she expresses what i am trying to capture in this review: „Say it soft— / heroic sacrifice. Political statement. Say it like / nail-polished fingers that never fit together.“
the act of girls loving girls is revolutionary. we have existed for centuries, forever, but still we are revolutionary – by existing we are rebelling. in light of the recent events in Orlando and the hate crime against the lgbt community, this counts more than ever. „Name this triumph in living“ , Winters continues in the same poem and leaves me gutted.
in 'Heaven or This' i found strength, and peace, and i have thought about it more than once since i laid it down. Winters created a collection full of warmth and believe me when i say that i am truly looking forward to more of her fearless work.
anahhs's review
3.0
i liked some poems more than the others. there might have been a bit too many... abstract comparisons in a row, at times for my taste but the ones i liked, i really did! for example, an excerpt of one:
"I ignore the questions cascading around me.
With one hand I eat the food of a land I am
learning to call my own, even as it pushes me further away.
With the other I send her text messages under the table, feel the ground beneath my feet return to holy as I do."
the imagery is so clear and meaningful. i hope the author continues to experience love with no regards for the fires!
"I ignore the questions cascading around me.
With one hand I eat the food of a land I am
learning to call my own, even as it pushes me further away.
With the other I send her text messages under the table, feel the ground beneath my feet return to holy as I do."
the imagery is so clear and meaningful. i hope the author continues to experience love with no regards for the fires!
amandanemer's review
2.0
“and when there are no gods still alive enough to smite—
i fall in love with the way she unfurls into light.”
i felt that
i fall in love with the way she unfurls into light.”
i felt that
heresthepencil's review
4.0
we are holding hands in the barrel of a gun.
they pull the trigger, but when she is kissing me
only cherry blossoms come out.
there's sth so pure & magical abt reading poetry about girls loving girls written by girls. that bittersweet ache in ur heart when every single word resonates with u. & topaz's poems r so beautiful in their softness; enchanting & raw with emotions.
leahkarge's review
4.0
This collection of poetry is a breathtaking look into the joys and difficulties of being a queer woman in love with another woman. It's short and sweet, definitely worth the read.
izzymendes's review
when evaluating poetry, i have a set of three criteria: 1) language (grammar, flow, diction), 2) imagery (uniqueness, accuracy) and 3) message (method of communication, efficacy of said method, relevance). i appraised winters’ heaven or this no differently, and overall, as poetry tends to do, this collection swept me off my feet.
there is love in every single one of these poems—and not just in terms of subject matter. you can simply tell that the author has poured her heart and soul into each page, and this passion allows for an incredibly emotional reading experience, because nothing is ever held back, guarded, left out. these poems are raw and delectable and absolutely beautiful and i could continue writing, or i could show you what i mean.
below is one of my favourite poems from the collection, cherry blossoms.
“we are holding hands in the barrel of a gun. / i am searching the briar patch for something other than / apology, & she hands me cherry blossoms / in the shape of defiance, she ties me in forget-me-(k)nots. / steals the wind from the tornado. casual kleptomaniac, / even as they yell blasphemy, yell soul sick bone deep / wrongness. there is no story where two girls / get a happy ending. she tells me fine, we'll write it ourselves, / sings the beginning in the poetry of sunrise, / & i can't help but dream of the wildflower epiphany / of maybe things will be okay after all. / i want to be the colour of the honeysuckle in her eyes. / how terrifying it must be to be so soft. how beautiful / to be so luminous. she touches me like spring cleaning, / calls me raindrop, robin, rosebud, river song. / ignores the ones yelling sacrilege, yelling hurricane. / she tells me love is the most beautiful natural disaster / & for the first time, my tsunami heart believes it. / we are holding hands in the barrel of a gun. / they pull the trigger, but when she is kissing me / only cherry blossoms come out.”
there is love in every single one of these poems—and not just in terms of subject matter. you can simply tell that the author has poured her heart and soul into each page, and this passion allows for an incredibly emotional reading experience, because nothing is ever held back, guarded, left out. these poems are raw and delectable and absolutely beautiful and i could continue writing, or i could show you what i mean.
below is one of my favourite poems from the collection, cherry blossoms.
“we are holding hands in the barrel of a gun. / i am searching the briar patch for something other than / apology, & she hands me cherry blossoms / in the shape of defiance, she ties me in forget-me-(k)nots. / steals the wind from the tornado. casual kleptomaniac, / even as they yell blasphemy, yell soul sick bone deep / wrongness. there is no story where two girls / get a happy ending. she tells me fine, we'll write it ourselves, / sings the beginning in the poetry of sunrise, / & i can't help but dream of the wildflower epiphany / of maybe things will be okay after all. / i want to be the colour of the honeysuckle in her eyes. / how terrifying it must be to be so soft. how beautiful / to be so luminous. she touches me like spring cleaning, / calls me raindrop, robin, rosebud, river song. / ignores the ones yelling sacrilege, yelling hurricane. / she tells me love is the most beautiful natural disaster / & for the first time, my tsunami heart believes it. / we are holding hands in the barrel of a gun. / they pull the trigger, but when she is kissing me / only cherry blossoms come out.”
izzymenzies's review
when evaluating poetry, i have a set of three criteria: 1) language (grammar, flow, diction), 2) imagery (uniqueness, accuracy) and 3) message (method of communication, efficacy of said method, relevance). i appraised winters’ heaven or this no differently, and overall, as poetry tends to do, this collection swept me off my feet.
there is love in every single one of these poems—and not just in terms of subject matter. you can simply tell that the author has poured her heart and soul into each page, and this passion allows for an incredibly emotional reading experience, because nothing is ever held back, guarded, left out. these poems are raw and delectable and absolutely beautiful and i could continue writing, or i could show you what i mean.
below is one of my favourite poems from the collection, cherry blossoms.
“we are holding hands in the barrel of a gun. / i am searching the briar patch for something other than / apology, & she hands me cherry blossoms / in the shape of defiance, she ties me in forget-me-(k)nots. / steals the wind from the tornado. casual kleptomaniac, / even as they yell blasphemy, yell soul sick bone deep / wrongness. there is no story where two girls / get a happy ending. she tells me fine, we'll write it ourselves, / sings the beginning in the poetry of sunrise, / & i can't help but dream of the wildflower epiphany / of maybe things will be okay after all. / i want to be the colour of the honeysuckle in her eyes. / how terrifying it must be to be so soft. how beautiful / to be so luminous. she touches me like spring cleaning, / calls me raindrop, robin, rosebud, river song. / ignores the ones yelling sacrilege, yelling hurricane. / she tells me love is the most beautiful natural disaster / & for the first time, my tsunami heart believes it. / we are holding hands in the barrel of a gun. / they pull the trigger, but when she is kissing me / only cherry blossoms come out.”
there is love in every single one of these poems—and not just in terms of subject matter. you can simply tell that the author has poured her heart and soul into each page, and this passion allows for an incredibly emotional reading experience, because nothing is ever held back, guarded, left out. these poems are raw and delectable and absolutely beautiful and i could continue writing, or i could show you what i mean.
below is one of my favourite poems from the collection, cherry blossoms.
“we are holding hands in the barrel of a gun. / i am searching the briar patch for something other than / apology, & she hands me cherry blossoms / in the shape of defiance, she ties me in forget-me-(k)nots. / steals the wind from the tornado. casual kleptomaniac, / even as they yell blasphemy, yell soul sick bone deep / wrongness. there is no story where two girls / get a happy ending. she tells me fine, we'll write it ourselves, / sings the beginning in the poetry of sunrise, / & i can't help but dream of the wildflower epiphany / of maybe things will be okay after all. / i want to be the colour of the honeysuckle in her eyes. / how terrifying it must be to be so soft. how beautiful / to be so luminous. she touches me like spring cleaning, / calls me raindrop, robin, rosebud, river song. / ignores the ones yelling sacrilege, yelling hurricane. / she tells me love is the most beautiful natural disaster / & for the first time, my tsunami heart believes it. / we are holding hands in the barrel of a gun. / they pull the trigger, but when she is kissing me / only cherry blossoms come out.”
hazelstaybookish's review
5.0
HOLY WOW. The poetry is absolutely freaking lovely. I literally just saw this minutes ago and decided to read it on a whim. I'm so glad I did.