Jeremy Mifsud's Blog, page 6
January 21, 2019
Poetry Book Review: Hearing the Underwater
Hearing the Underwater
by Savannah Slone
Hearing the Underwater is a chapbook you want to have on your shelf—you’ll be reading the poems over and over. Several themes are approached within this collection, including motherhood, mental health and social issues such as poverty. Slone does not shy away from any thought that consume her mind.
In the poem “Cynicism and Other Synonyms”, she starts with the following stanza:
“When I have greasy hair,
I am incapable of being happy,
yet I put it off just long enough
because feeling agitated feels good
sometimes.”
Cynicism and Other Synonyms (p. 3)
And that’s only the beginning (it ends even better, trust me). In a simple way, she shows us how ‘illogical’ mental illness can be, and I could strongly relate right off the bat. Slone bares herself with the rawness of language, without hiding, and that’s why as a reader I found it so easy to connect with her poetry. And if anyone knows me well enough, they’d know how difficult it is for me to channel myself into another person’s world—Slone’s feat is by no means easy.
Her words transferred her anger and passion to me. I couldn’t stop nodding in agreement (with pouty lips and furrowed eyebrows) to some of her poems. Take a look at these lines:
“we pray on as the mounds of orphaned
Within Your White Picket Fence (p. 12)
pleas and rising statistics
pause it has happened
again”
What makes Slone’s work exceptional is that she has something to say, in a way that compels you to not miss a word. Her voice is one that we need more of, so I strongly recommend you to buy this chapbook.
I was provided with a free eBook copy in exchange for an honest review.
Quotes may differ slightly from original due to formatting difficulties on blog posts.
Sources and Links:
Book: Hearing the Underwater
Book Cover: Goodreads
Reviewer: Jeremy Mifsud
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January 19, 2019
Poetry Book Review: Chameleon Aura
Chameleon AuraBilly Chapata
Review
I’m going to approach this review from the perspective of the book’s value. I liked it. It’s uplifting and promotes self-love and awareness in a creative way. I wouldn’t necessarily call it poetry, but it doesn’t take away from the writing.
One thing I appreciate in Chapata’s book is that it is honest. It reflects his personal experiences and his growth throughout a multitude of relationships. The book is inundated with clichés about when you should let people go, but I found it [somewhat] fitting, nonetheless. There’s a sense of separating oneself from surroundings, and acknowledging self-worth, with the recurring concept of loving from a distance.
‘Recurring’ is a key-word in this review. With a book barely shy of 300 pages, all these relatable quotes become repetitive. The vocabulary does not change. In fact, towards the end, each piece of writing feels like I’ve had already read it previously. Because many things are repeated so many times, it drags the value down, it transforms revelation into preach, and Chapata becomes just another guy telling us how to feel, how to love, how to be. And what makes him qualified to do so?
It’s a nice attempt. Obviously, it could be expressed better, more vividly, more creatively (the words “darling” and “healing” were beyond over-used, amongst other words). In essence, if you read a fourth of the book, you might get more of its worth than reading it in its completion. If you’re into the quote-sy, relatable ‘poetry’, this is definitely a good book for you. Otherwise, it can still be enjoyable, but it might get boring and ‘too much’ too soon.
Chameleon Aura is expected to be published on 22nd January 2019.
Sources and Links
Book: Chameleon Aura
Book Cover: Goodreads
Reviewer: Jeremy Mifsud
I received the book for free as an Advanced Review Copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review
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January 18, 2019
Thinking of You
Pluck my hair
as if it were wild weeds
overgrown on my scalp.
Carve a slit
between my pecs,
rip my chest apart
and watch my heart
drop onto your feet.
Play with it
like a football,
kick it around
until it’s bruised
& bloodless.
Shove acid
down my throat,
watch my mouth foam
& my body convulse.
These are the only ways
I’ll stop thinking of you.
A list of my featured works is found in Publications, including my full-length collection, Welcome to the Sombre Days (2018).
First published by Royal Rose Magazine.
View original post 70 more words
January 16, 2019
Don’t Cry
When your blood’s
squeezed out of your heart
& all that’s left is air:
don’t cry.
This poem first appeared on Instagram.
A list of my featured works is found in Publications, including my full-length collection, Welcome to the Sombre Days (2018).
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January 14, 2019
Blood Moon
The pale moon glows
in its full roundness.
Your palm lands.
Moon veins bleed
in pain & pleasure.
This poem first appeared on Instagram.
A list of my featured works is found in Publications, including my full-length collection, Welcome to the Sombre Days (2018).
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January 12, 2019
Greeting
How could I write
half a ‘y’?
“Hey”—too casual.
“Heyy”—too flirty.
No middle ground,
no right way
to greet you
back into my life.
This poem first appeared on Instagram.
A list of my featured works is found in Publications, including my full-length collection, Welcome to the Sombre Days (2018).
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January 11, 2019
Poetry Book Review: Simple Weight
Simple Weight by Tania RunyanReview
Simple Weight is a very apt title of combining the weight of living with the simplicity of being. I enjoyed Simple Weight for its imagery-laden poetry and the vivid descriptions—they brought nature alive. This is how the poem Sunset of Dust begins:
“When the western light saturates our room,
we see that we live in nothing more
than a nebula of dust. We watch the flurries
of our skin shimmer and swirl in the rays,
forty thousand cells a minute sloughing into the cloud.”
I think Runyan expressed herself well with the personal poems. At the same time, the book was inundated with religious poems, and although I didn’t mind the spirituality aspect, I didn’t care for the biblical persona poems, as they felt somewhat forced, impersonal and ingenuine.
Overall, I did enjoy reading the collection, but I wouldn’t have strong recommendation for it as far as contemporary poetry goes. I had no qualms with the style of the language used, so it might be a good book for Christian readers. If you’re not, I don’t think there’s anything too special about this collection to consider.
Sources and Links:
Book: Simple Weight
Book Cover: Goodreads
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January 9, 2019
Poetry Book Review: Sunshine, Sadness, and other Floridian Effects
Sunshine, Sadness, and other Floridian Effects
by Shelby Eileen
Review
I breezed through this chapter in one sitting as it was quite enjoyable. The language & imagery were refreshing & lovely. Here’s one of my favourite examples:
“I used to think about licking saltwater
Sunshine, Sadness, and other Floridian Effects (p. 8)
From between your breasts
So close to me that I could trace your
Lazy ocean body with my tongue at high noon”
Poems ranged in format and content and worked really well together. I particularly liked the poems which were really texts to and from her dad—their melancholy & nostalgia got through to me. Some poems could probably use more tightening, but nonetheless, they were pleasant. I truly recommend reading (especially since it’s pay-what-you-want) as it’s definitely worth the time, and it might lead you to Shelby’s other collections, which I’m intrigued of getting now.
Sources and Links:
Book: Sunshine, Sadness, and other Floridian Effects
Book Cover: Goodreads
Author’s Twitter: Shelby Eileen
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January 5, 2019
Poetry Book Review: soft magic
soft magic
by Upele Chisala
soft magic is a previously self-published book that’s being republished. With good reviews, I expected a good collection of poems, but I was soon disappointed. The book may be a hit or miss, and for me it was a big miss. Majority of poems are a sentence or two long and are generic, Instagram-feelgood-quotes.
If I could some up the book, it would be “Darling, you are beautiful. Darling, you are strong.” That’s what you will be getting out of the whole collection. I soon picked up overused and repeated language between poems, specifically these words: ocean, darling, bones, magic, love, swim. Create any combination of these words and you’ll have read half the book.
I wasn’t moved by any of the statements. To top it off, I already had an unfavourable opinion towards second-person poetry, especially when it’s quite generic. I enjoy consuming diverse and feminist poetry, but I find the saturation of books telling young girls “you are beautiful” to be a selling market-point that assumes women and girls need to be told they’re beautiful. As much as the patriarchy sucks, the most badass and feminist writing out there shows how badass women can be—this does not. Anyone can tell you that you’re beautiful, but great writers should be showing you and making you believe in such beauty and power. Although admirable in intention, the self-love concept fails to get through.
In summary, I wouldn’t recommend this book. Even if you like micro-poetry, this isn’t what you’re looking for. Other reviewers have compared it to similar collections but referred to how soft magic is inferior. So, save your money and spend on a more worthwhile collection.
Sources & Links
Book: soft magic
Book Cover: Goodreads
Reviewer: Jeremy Mifsud
Header Photograph: Cristina Gottardi
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