A review by shanehawk
Fanged Dandelion by Eric LaRocca

5.0

My experience with poetry is super limited. I've begun delving into darker poetry (horror/true crime) as it's more aligned with my interests and passion. This is my disclaimer, as I have little to compare Eric's work to for reference.

With that being said, Eric's poetry is phenomenal.
Rhythm, tone, word choice, prose—all on point.

I know people often skip the front matter of books, but I highly recommend reading both [a:Sara Tantlinger|15236793|Sara Tantlinger|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1542744113p2/15236793.jpg]'s foreword and Eric's own introduction. They both got me psyched to read further. This is a short collection, and one can read it in one sitting easily. However, I let Eric's words and amazing imagery seep into my bone marrow. I took his poems bit by bit and allowed them to swim in my head while I did house chores, worked out, or commuted to work.

With permission from the author, I've included a small sampling of his poetry below:

black flies circling
eyelids sliced with
livid paper cuts
I find him curled
inside a tree trunk
sprouting red metal

I listened to Eric LaRocca on the Cursed Morsels podcast, and it gave me a peek into his thought processes and allowed me to admire the efforts he's put forth into his works. After reading this collection, I'm even more intrigued to read his [b:Starving Ghosts in Every Thread|53847244|Starving Ghosts in Every Thread|Eric LaRocca|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1591384966l/53847244._SY75_.jpg|84173985] novella, which delivered to my doorstep last week. Don't sleep on Eric LaRocca.