billyfasig's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
peri_clover's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
all_things_book's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
bellaflorina's review against another edition
4.0
I have always shied away from poetry because I am such an avid lover of fiction, but this, this book hit me in places I was not expecting to be hit. It covers the difficulty of being queer, it covers gender, trauma, and other hard hitting subjects in a perfect way. I thank the author for sharing her beautiful art with us.
katiemonty's review against another edition
Not fully sure how I felt about this but here are some quotes I liked!
“I wrote my own story and still said all the wrong things.”
“I don’t know enough about healing / I had to step back for a while to get to know myself again but now I don’t know how to step forward / I worry it’s safer to sleep alone”
“Love knows only love. We waste so much time trying to explain ourselves.”
“love is more than the lessons it teaches”
“I have this dream where I only write you love poems and none of them have to say, “I’m so glad we’re alive.”
“You have to let something go. You carry too much in your heart. There’s no room for anything else.”
“…but Achilles mourned Patroclus the way a soul mourns a body.”
THE POET SINGS OF WAR
“Once, someone asked me why I write so much about airports and I said: it’s not about airports.
It’s about having something tangible to miss.
I don’t know what to call homesickness when I’m home.”
“Fuck another poem that means I have to stand in front of strangers and make a bouquet of my trauma.”
GENDER: “I used to think girl meant wilting like a rose in the palm of a man’s hand / but sometimes it just means thorn / and sometimes it just means wilting into my own hands”
“Accepting this body did not mean convincing myself that it was beautiful; it meant giving myself permission to exist regardless.”
“give yourself permission to explore every aspect of your being: the parts they call feminine and the parts they don’t / the parts that would make your mother gasp / the parts that are deemed unacceptable and undesirable / the parts that are hungry / the parts that are angry / the parts that are hurting / the parts that make you feel good / the parts that make you feel guilty / the parts you’re not proud of / all of it / every bloody, ugly bit”
“I wrote my own story and still said all the wrong things.”
“I don’t know enough about healing / I had to step back for a while to get to know myself again but now I don’t know how to step forward / I worry it’s safer to sleep alone”
“Love knows only love. We waste so much time trying to explain ourselves.”
“love is more than the lessons it teaches”
“I have this dream where I only write you love poems and none of them have to say, “I’m so glad we’re alive.”
“You have to let something go. You carry too much in your heart. There’s no room for anything else.”
“…but Achilles mourned Patroclus the way a soul mourns a body.”
THE POET SINGS OF WAR
“Once, someone asked me why I write so much about airports and I said: it’s not about airports.
It’s about having something tangible to miss.
I don’t know what to call homesickness when I’m home.”
“Fuck another poem that means I have to stand in front of strangers and make a bouquet of my trauma.”
GENDER: “I used to think girl meant wilting like a rose in the palm of a man’s hand / but sometimes it just means thorn / and sometimes it just means wilting into my own hands”
“Accepting this body did not mean convincing myself that it was beautiful; it meant giving myself permission to exist regardless.”
“give yourself permission to explore every aspect of your being: the parts they call feminine and the parts they don’t / the parts that would make your mother gasp / the parts that are deemed unacceptable and undesirable / the parts that are hungry / the parts that are angry / the parts that are hurting / the parts that make you feel good / the parts that make you feel guilty / the parts you’re not proud of / all of it / every bloody, ugly bit”
hopefullykryzz's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
3.75
jennaoregan's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Art made this even more fun to read
erikaretia's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bibliotequeish's review against another edition
4.0
They made me a Goddess of love and then vilified me for loving freely.
Poetry means different things to different people and definitely mean something deep and empowering to the writer, so "rating" poetry is always difficult for me.
I praise the author for her candor and realness, the pops of art were beautiful and interesting.
This book kind of reminded me of a phenomenon that was popular close to 15 years ago, where people could send in a post card with a secret written on it in hopes that it would be posted on a website, or published in a book.
... I felt as tho I was reading Mateer's secrets.
Poetry means different things to different people and definitely mean something deep and empowering to the writer, so "rating" poetry is always difficult for me.
I praise the author for her candor and realness, the pops of art were beautiful and interesting.
This book kind of reminded me of a phenomenon that was popular close to 15 years ago, where people could send in a post card with a secret written on it in hopes that it would be posted on a website, or published in a book.
... I felt as tho I was reading Mateer's secrets.