Unity

by Joseph Leo Hickey

Unity is the second full length poetry book authored by Joseph Leo Hickey. Many of the themes from Baptism of Apathy are carried over into Unity. However, Unity is a more compact and concentrated volume. The work is divided into eight articles or poems of different lengths. There are three main themes of the poems in this work. The first is loneliness and how characters deal with being alone. The second is the idea that every person has a voice and that all voices are valuable. The third is the theme of unity which refers to the power of emotion to unite others. This is seen in the narrative flow of the poems. Each poem consists of the voices of more than one character and it is not always clear who the speaker is. As a result of this, it is easy to see the power of emotions to unite people. Emotions in this way transcend the individual. The main character in this work is Ella Sturm. She loses everything because of the supernatural powers at work in the world, striving to destroy her. Although Ella's story is the backbone of this work, the direct references to her are few and far between. At the same time she is emblematic of most of the poetic language that was utilized in writing this book.

94 pages, Paperback

Published July 10, 2017

Reviews

[Michael Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joseph Leo Hickey's Unity is a fantastic collection of poetry. Much of what I liked about Hickey's previous work is present here: emotion and longing, and moments of deep reflection and musing. Oftentimes we are reminded of overwhelming circumstances and world-ending scenarios the characters face, which drives the intensity of the poems. However, there's an equally powerful force of optimism in Unity.

Images such as storms, war, and the end of days are pitted against pure images of traversing school hallways and running into someone you like in an elevator. In the face of adversity, there is often an up-swinging shift, a willingness to face the "storm" life heaves, which I find appealing. Despite all the pain, there is a conviction to make it through, rise above, and never give up no matter the odds. I really like this recurring message.

Unity has an almost stream-of-consciousness style; It reads as thoughts would appear, sudden but always connected. This is the best version of that style I've ever read, because the flow is so natural that you forget you're reading, and arriving at the morals and messages of given poems feels more like you yourself have arrived at a revelation or an epiphany.

This technique resonates especially well when Hickey switches speakers; it's sudden but seamless, and hammers home one of the primary themes of the book: that unity can be achieved between people who hardly know each other, through the parallel experiences they have.

This book really captures the artistry of writing poems. I highly recommend Unity for lovers of poetry and anyone looking for a thought-provoking read.