Scan barcode
sanjana_argula's review against another edition
3.0
Memorable poetry with some killer lines. I found it meandering a bit towards the end. I also felt like there was no singular concept, so it was a bit jarring to have the poems flit across different topics.
"She always kept a pitcher of cold water beside the bed, to pour over her brow when she woke, to make sure nothing of what she had loved in her sleep lingered long enough to remember when stepping out of bed."
" There is an ocean of sorrow in all of us. I have tried to learn how to spend my days not swimming in it. To stand on its shore. To only tip my toes in its water once in awhile."
" Do not let them tell you what in you you should grow and what in you you should kill"
" Rocks pushed out of the dirt to make a space. Like all good poets."
"She always kept a pitcher of cold water beside the bed, to pour over her brow when she woke, to make sure nothing of what she had loved in her sleep lingered long enough to remember when stepping out of bed."
" There is an ocean of sorrow in all of us. I have tried to learn how to spend my days not swimming in it. To stand on its shore. To only tip my toes in its water once in awhile."
" Do not let them tell you what in you you should grow and what in you you should kill"
" Rocks pushed out of the dirt to make a space. Like all good poets."
gar42's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
3.75
This book felt like an open wound. Not a book written as a reflection on grief, but a book written in the midst of grief.
The speaker grapples with the suicide of his friend and the end of his marriage, using mythology to frame his experiences. The poems are often raw and heavy, bursting with desperation to find something in the world worth hanging on to.
Some of the stylistic choices in the book were a little jarring. At times, the language felt forced into a “poem-y” style. I also felt like some of the poems were really similar, as if there were multiple attempts to develop the same idea, which at times felt interesting and reflective, and at other times felt repetitive.
The speaker grapples with the suicide of his friend and the end of his marriage, using mythology to frame his experiences. The poems are often raw and heavy, bursting with desperation to find something in the world worth hanging on to.
Some of the stylistic choices in the book were a little jarring. At times, the language felt forced into a “poem-y” style. I also felt like some of the poems were really similar, as if there were multiple attempts to develop the same idea, which at times felt interesting and reflective, and at other times felt repetitive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Grief
tarajeanne's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.25
ynot's review against another edition
4.0
Anis is probably one of my favorite poets after this book (I know big statement lol). His way of writing and telling stories through poetry is so uniquely beautiful that I wish I could write like him. The topics of suicide, lost love, depression, healing etc were so beautifully brought out and explored that I can’t say I didn’t feel seen in this book. Thank God for Anis and this book lol I’ll definitely keep this one close to my heart.
beasleysbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
sisyphused's review against another edition
5.0
TW: full of yearning
i recommend this free verse poetry to all my fellow grief lovers out there.
if you aren't a fan of, but wanted to have a good start reading poetry, this collection is for you. you certainly won't come out of reading this unscathed!
* * *
It is possible to be wild and kind at the same time. It is possible to be both alone and be loved. I have known this to be true. In others. In me. To be loved. And to also still be alone.
- Sisyphus p. 7/9
no one teaches you what to do
when something that loves you still
goes away
and leaves you to learn how to find
something to love
that is larger than their absence
- Of those early mornings p. 3/3
So
maybe all I wish is the want. Yet
without the longing
- Perhaps p. 4/4
i recommend this free verse poetry to all my fellow grief lovers out there.
if you aren't a fan of, but wanted to have a good start reading poetry, this collection is for you. you certainly won't come out of reading this unscathed!
* * *
It is possible to be wild and kind at the same time. It is possible to be both alone and be loved. I have known this to be true. In others. In me. To be loved. And to also still be alone.
- Sisyphus p. 7/9
no one teaches you what to do
when something that loves you still
goes away
and leaves you to learn how to find
something to love
that is larger than their absence
- Of those early mornings p. 3/3
So
maybe all I wish is the want. Yet
without the longing
- Perhaps p. 4/4