sylviebrekke's review
3.0
not really my style of poetry, but there were some impactful and interesting ideas discussed within
whoz_ophelia's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Hanif Abdurraqib's Vintage Sadness takes a whimsical look at life's soundtrack -- from love and loss, to friendship, racial identity, and everything in between. Abdurraqib's use of language is gorgeous and unusual while maintaining an elegant and easy flow. Some of the poems just didn't resonate with me, but these were nonetheless beautiful. My favorites were "Duran Duran - Girls on Film" and "And What Good Will Your Vanity Be When The Rapture Comes."
counterfetti's review
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Gorgeous lyrical writing that wields sharp biting imagery without missing any wit. His descriptions are far too accurate to feel this fresh. Raw and sincere. Inspiring experimentation with form. As a newcomer to his work, I'll definitely be checking more of his stuff out!
dolorianpolymath's review
“There is more than one way to cover a temple in platinum. Maybe we both long for an era when there were less things to record death. In the interview, they asked if you believe in love at first sight. You said I think I have to. You didn’t say we are all one hard storm away from dissolving, vanishing into the frenzied dusk. But I get it. I know what it is to walk into the mouth of an unfamiliar morning and feel everything. I touch hands with a stranger who gives me my change at the market, and I already know their history. I suppose this is survival. I will love those who no one else thinks to remember. This is all that is promised: there will be a decade you are born, and a decade that you will not make it out of alive. All of the rooftops where the parties were in the year of my becoming are now dust. No one dances so close to the sky anymore. I say I, too, am a romantic, and I mean I never expected to survive this long. I have infinite skin. I keep dry when the rain comes. There will always be another era of bright suits that don’t quite fit, but must. There will always be a year where the cameras are hungry for whatever sins we can strangle out of the night. There will always be another spoon for boys to lick the sugar from.”
—
First read of 2023. Really special stuff
—
First read of 2023. Really special stuff
ajchurch's review
3.0
No I liked this a lot actually. I feel like I have to read everything this man has ever written and ever time I read something new he makes me question something. Like. Idk. I have all these feelings about this and no where to put them down