A review by thecolourblue
Honorifics by Cynthia Miller
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
A strong debut poetry collection. Very beautiful and elegant to read, though not maybe of the entries really stuck with me afterwards the way some poetry does. Many of the poems here are about words themselves - not just the honorifics of the title, but also about definitions, multiple meanings, translations (or not, in the case of 'There is no specific word in English for') and personal history with words.
There are a wide range of topics touched on in the poems, some of which are written in response to prompts or other works, and some of which are in response to Miller's own life and heritage. Traditional food, family and memories share the pages with technology and deep space exploration.
Throughout there is a theme of fluidity and shifting ground, more literally realised in ocean-themed works like 'Bloom', a poem about one of my favourite creatures - jellyfish.
There are a wide range of topics touched on in the poems, some of which are written in response to prompts or other works, and some of which are in response to Miller's own life and heritage. Traditional food, family and memories share the pages with technology and deep space exploration.
Throughout there is a theme of fluidity and shifting ground, more literally realised in ocean-themed works like 'Bloom', a poem about one of my favourite creatures - jellyfish.
"I hope you never feel unsafe in your own body / of water / night is dark enough as it is."