dilfpercyshelley's review
medium-paced
2.25
not a huge fan of this i’m afraid!
Occasionally, Chan wrote a line so beautiful and so well phrased that I rethought my initial stance. Ultimately however, this style of poetry is not for me.
Their words, and thus, their crafted imagery felt extremely over-explained, so much so that it left me with absolutely nothing to uncover for myself. For me, the analysis of poetry is the most enjoyable part. This enjoyment was stripped from my experience by the obviousness of it all. Why explain the image Mary?? Why do that in the context of short form poetry??? Why not use the extra lines for more detailed descriptions and coherent imagery???
I think that I would enjoy this author’s prose (then I would not be hung up on the over explaining.) However, for this simple style of poetry, the style caused a lack of depth I simply did not enjoy.
Occasionally, Chan wrote a line so beautiful and so well phrased that I rethought my initial stance. Ultimately however, this style of poetry is not for me.
Their words, and thus, their crafted imagery felt extremely over-explained, so much so that it left me with absolutely nothing to uncover for myself. For me, the analysis of poetry is the most enjoyable part. This enjoyment was stripped from my experience by the obviousness of it all. Why explain the image Mary?? Why do that in the context of short form poetry??? Why not use the extra lines for more detailed descriptions and coherent imagery???
I think that I would enjoy this author’s prose (then I would not be hung up on the over explaining.) However, for this simple style of poetry, the style caused a lack of depth I simply did not enjoy.
emsemsems's review
4.0
‘Tonight, I forget that I am/ bilingual. I lose my voice in your mouth, kiss till blood/ comes so sorry does not slip on an avalanche of syllables/ into sorrow. I tell you that as long as we hold each other,/ no apology will be enough. Tonight, I am dreaming again/of tomorrow: another chance to eat at the feast of the living/ with chopsticks balanced across the bridges of our hands/ as we imbibe each yes, spit out every no among scraps of/ shell or bone.’
Perhaps if I familiarise myself a bit more with Chan’s literary/poetic style, I might bump this up to a 5 later, but for now I think 4 feels most fitting to me. I read this all at once and very quickly and it felt like chugging an entire mug of hot tea – not so hot that it scalds one’s throat but hot enough to make one surrender one’s full attention powerlessly… yet very willingly. I love the structure of the poems. The ones structured with an intentional gap right in the middle of the page/poem, guiding the readers’ eyes to go left to right and then right to left – again and again is surely Chan inviting us to play, no? Am I misreading it? Got me a bit dizzy, and/but I love it. It’s playful and wonderful. The poems are composed with so much affection and care, gently exposing the poet’s own vulnerabilities – exactly like ‘tea leaves’ unfurling in a hot water (something used in one of Chan’s poems). While the ‘style’ and structure of the poems gives off a playful vibe, the content of the poems are definitely more on the serious side (or at least should be taken seriously/read with care). I’ll definitely come back to at a later date to read again, maybe read ‘better’.
‘…Avoid/ the foetal position because there will be too much blood/ concentrated around the vital organs, by which/ she means: Try to sit up and greet the day anew.’
Also, this is pretty irrelevant, but I’ve met Chan a few times in some poetry events a few years ago. And she's surely one of the sweetest/loveliest (essentially strangers) people I’ve ever met. To be clear, I think we’ve only spoken briefly on one occasion, but despite me being just another poetry enthusiast (as opposed to being a proper poet/writer), Chan was always the one trying to make conversation/offer a friendly smile from across the room. Not like this has anything to do with the book/poetry at all, but I thought it’s a fun little memory to share/add.
‘…on her left cheek // I know it is not my place // to touch it // I listen to the crisp snip-snip // of silver on black…’
words_and_coffee's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Mental illness and Self harm
rubywarhol's review
3.0
This was recommended to me by a librarian and I really liked it. The story behind it is moving and I could relate to a lot of it (being mixed race, lgbt, and living in a foreign country at the moment) but I've never seen it phrased in such a poetic way.