A review by sanjana_argula
Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar

5.0

What a wonderful book with phenomenal writing. I was highlighting some beautiful line from almost every page and I absolutely enjoyed this book. It's one of my favorite poetry books ever.

"I’ve given this coldness many names             thinking if it had a name it would have a solution             thinking if I called a wolf a wolf I might dull its fangs"

" may we measure every victory by the momentary absence of pain"

" even a lobster climbs away from its shell a few times a life but every time I open my eyes I find I am still inside myself each epiphany dull and familiar"

" The countdown to the next major miracle is on. Till then, I’ll manage less and less."

" what you lack and the punishment for your lacking are the same"

" I lack nothing I need unless you count everything I want"

" When I wake, I ask God to slide into my head quickly before I do."

" one way to live a life is to spend each moment asking forgiveness for the last
it seems to me the significance of remorse would deflate with each performance"

" it’s a long drive into manhood but such a short walk out"

These are not even half the gems I found scattered throughout the book. It was simply an awe-inspiring experience to read through and in between the lines of this book. Kudos to the poet!