An ambitious collection—which asks the world to stop its destructive ways and recognize the importance of Africans—that...
A narrator rails against racism and ignorance in this debut poetry volume.
Celly’s book contains hundreds of poems, most of them quite short, that describe a man who is living in a universe full of unenlightened individuals who cause destruction because of their lack of knowledge. In particular, they do not appreciate the contributions of people of African descent and confound the narrator with their bigotry, murderous ways, and inability to become edified. Nevertheless, he is self-assured and encourages others to follow him. “I am the maestro without the orchestra,” he writes in the volume’s opening poem, “A Maestro,” but notes that humans won’t have the privilege of discerning what’s in his mind “until they stop killing each other.” As the many poems in the volume progress, he begins to refer to himself as “The Negus,” an African emperor or king. He has the “noble blood of the Kongo Kingdom” in “Legendary Blood,” descended from warriors, geniuses, and visionaries. The tone of the poems overall seeks to be high-minded, with references to The Prince by Machiavelli and the French Revolution. There is also a call to emulate African rhythms, such as the Congolese rumba or the songs of Bob Marley, in “It Must Rhyme and Flow.” A mysterious “they” is often mentioned, though it is unclear if this is a reference to Western society, racists, or uneducated people. Yet the narrator, who has a commanding presence, does describe an overall war on Africa and encourages Africans to rise up. Moreover, he transcends race and the color barrier and desires something mystical. “I am not a Negro. I am renegade. I am the Negus straight from heaven,” he writes in “Defined by Color Only Not So Fast!” Celly’s expansive volume, which aspires to thoughtful and strong lines about humanity and its failings, is not hostile but uses grandiose language to ponder and decree. While there are hundreds of poems, many are quite vague and are just one line or a short paragraph. The work is not entirely an exercise in self-aggrandizement, but the collection’s message can get lost amid the numerous ambiguities and repeated proclamations.
An ambitious collection—which asks the world to stop its destructive ways and recognize the importance of Africans—that remains hampered by nebulous and unspecified pronouncements.Pub Date: July 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-68319-824-6
Page Count: 262
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A vivid setting, fresh imagery and a heartfelt search for meaning easily make up for a handful of minor flaws.
An evocative new collection of literary-minded verse from the winner of the 2006 Chelsea Poetry Prize and the 2011 Emily Dickinson Award from the Poetry Society of America.
Written during Heisler’s (Drawing Water, 2013, etc.) nine years living in Iceland, these poems draw fruitfully from her experiences navigating a deeply foreign land. The majority of the entries are seemingly autobiographical prose poems that read almost as memoir and that feel truer for their inclusion of surreal, sharply rendered details. Heisler writes, for example, of “a face with eyes like fists of gray silk” and a “yellow house that careened above a bog.” Returning frequently to translations and reflections, the collection gradually becomes a subtle exploration of identity and expression and of how the two interact. Best of all are the sections that veer into metapoetry, as the narrator relates her difficulties negotiating language differences and, especially, the translated works of Emily Dickinson: “The wish,” Heisler writes, “as noun, has a specific shape that I will not describe.” The collection has its flaws; in particular, the straightforward, declarative sentence structure that many of the poems rely on can become repetitive, as can the narrator’s ongoing tribulations with her Icelandic lover. The end of the collection, which strays significantly from the form and style of its earlier sections, is also a little jarring in context. On the whole, however, the collection is vibrant and insightful, offering careful readers an intimate look into the complex business of remembering and relating things past. “To ‘spend a life’—as if a life, its years, were currency,” one poem asks, “What does one buy with a life?” For readers interested in such questions, Heisler’s latest will be an immersive delight.
A vivid setting, fresh imagery and a heartfelt search for meaning easily make up for a handful of minor flaws.Pub Date: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-888553-53-6
Page Count: 100
Publisher: Kore Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 20, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Endearing and inspiring despite clichés and weak points.
This collection of poems and accompanying essays explores the joy and pain of relationships.
In her debut work, Shaye compiles 15 poems that contemplate the challenges and benefits of the relationships in our lives. In both free verse and rhyme, her narrator yearns for a lover from a distance, casts aside a fickle friend, strives to reconnect with family and more. Many of the poems boast evocative descriptions in succinct lines. In “Blue Moment,” each stanza employs three lines describing the relationship, concluding with the revelation that this beloved person has passed away: “buckets of retreat— / volumes of safety— / slivers of deceit— / i’m missing you lately.” However, some of the poems are too simplistic, employing lists of clichés rather than memorable imagery or passages. The bland “A Wish,” for example, starts every line with the word “wishing”: “Wishing I was holding you... / Wishing you were here right now, or wishing I was there. / Wishing we were breathing from the same supply of air. / Wishing we were having some kind of secret love affair.” Despite their occasionally tired phrasing, the poems have a winning sincerity and openness—excluding the disturbing “How Do You Write A Poem?” which describes molestation, racism, suicide and self-harm in no uncertain terms, then concludes, “You have to hate yourself. / You have to love solitude. / You have to love your pen. / You have to live.” However, what sets Shaye’s poetry collection apart is the series of accompanying essays exploring each poem in greater detail. A tactic that initially seems indulgent, it actually proves quite charming. “A Closer Look: ‘Invisible’ ” explores that titular poem and inspires readers to develop their own confidence rather than worrying about what other people think. Yet other essays—such as “A Closer Look: ‘Blue Moment’ ”—are so positive that they seem at odds with the somber subject matter of their respective poems. Overall, this collection may not impress die-hard poetry devotees, but readers looking for easy-to-digest nuggets of motivation may savor it.
Endearing and inspiring despite clichés and weak points.Pub Date: Dec. 18, 2013
ISBN: 978-0615909196
Page Count: 74
Publisher: Tasty Chuckle Publications
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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