A misty blue dawn … sometimes I just feel that way
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How Heavy The Days by Herman Hesse
How heavy the days are. There’s not a fire that can warm me, Not a sun to laugh with me, Everything bare, Everything cold and merciless, And even the beloved, clear Stars look desolately down, Since I learned in my heart that Love can die.
Aprhrodite Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer, published in 2019, is a multidimensional tour de force of poetry, prose, artwork, and structure, that truly is mesmorizing in its scope and beauty.
The book is composed structurally of seven chapters, each one a dialogue between the poet and Aphrodite. Aphrodite Airs Her Grievances, The Poet Airs Her Grievances, Aprhrodite Speaks On Love, The Poet Speaks On Love, Aphrodite Sings Of War, The Poet Sings Of War, & Rising. Each of the chapters has short verse poems, prose poems, graphics, photographs, drawings, and collages, all revolving around these dialogues.
There is an imaginative twist here, a poetic turning of the tables, so to speak, particularly in the earlier chapters, when Aphrodite addresses some of the many myths surrounding her. Some of her remarks are angry, some are humorous, but they all revolve around the themes of self-empowerment, and self worth, which truly applies to all of us.
In this way, this original book, based on the struggles and difficulties of one young woman, coming of age, accepting who she is, become generalized, and reveal so much to all of us. In a way Trista Mateer becomes her very own version of Aphrodite, with pride and freedom, and without denying anything at all to anyone else.
Which in my opinion, is truly a worthwhile accomplishment!
If you like contemporary poetry/fiction, and the attendent styles, which have come about because of social media, I am sure you will enjoy this book!
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give yourself permission to explore every aspect of your being:
the parts they call feminine and the parts they don’t / the parts that would make your mother gasp / the parts that are deemed unacceptable and undesirable / the parts that are hungry / the parts that are angry / the parts that are hurting / the parts that make you feel good / the parts that make you feel guilty / the parts your’re not proud of / all of it / every bloody, ugly bit
wishing to see blossoms on weeping cherry trees stars in my eyes
– Matsuo Basho
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Weeping Cherry Tree by Cornwall Library, New York.
Standing beneath this tree, in the height of Spring, close to the home of so many beautiful books, truly is a magnificent experience! So I understand how M. Basho felt so many years ago! And of course this library even has free Internet access, which I don’t think was available in his times!
New York City Haiku, published in 2017, is a nice collection of Haiku submitted to The New York Times by its readers. It includes illustrations by James Gulliver Hancock.
The book numbers 127 pages and there are either one or two haiku per page. I give a rough estimate therefore, of about 200 haiku total for the entire work.
New Yorkers are known for being a tough bunch! They have faced just about everything the world can throw at a city, with many cycles of good times and bad times. But through it all they have shown a true grit and a resilience that has withstood the test of time.
Inside this small volume, you will find poems that are wry, poems that are observant, poems that have humour, poems that embrace kindness. It holds a treasury of the heart, mind, and soul, of New York City.
With that said I am going to wrap up this brief review with some examples and you can make up your own mind!
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We are all of us, waiting, wanting, wondering, local or express
dawn lights up the sky models seeking cameras fashion still alive
I lost my headphones but found the subway had music of it own
Elderly couple On Circle Line for a date, Giving love a chance
Lonely in the night Alone on a crowed train Many hearts, one soul
Beware the puddle of indeterminate depth that swallows boots whole
Adrift in a sea. We’re all in this together. We won’t let you drown.
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I know, April, poetry month is already over. But for me every month is poetry month! So I intend to continue with my poetry reviews!