Title: Silver and Gold Author: Ellen Steiber In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Fairy tales, Poetry, Retellings Dates read: 20th May 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Prime Books Year: 1994 5th sentence, 74th page: is it any wonder I went deeper and deeper into the green trees?
A beautiful poem that investigates the reasons why we tend to follow the wolf off of the trodden path.
I absolutely loved this poem adaptation to Little Red Riding Hood. It’s not generally one of my favourite fairy tales – so many plot holes, but this one kind of took those into account. It questioned how you wouldn’t know that the shape in the bed was the damn wolf. It questioned why you would follow a wolf into the woods.
But, mostly what I loved about this poem was the fact that it had a much more adult take on the fairy tale. It was about following things that you just know aren’t good for you. But you’ll follow that anyway, it’s how we learn after all.
This is a great, easy to follow poem. There are hidden layers throughout it. But there is also a great and obvious storyline at the forefront too.
This is a seriously intense and disturbing poem. And I am completely in love with it. Like obsessed, happy, insanely in love with it. Which is probably weird… because this poem is seriously wrong. Just in that happy, easy to read enjoyable way.
I think one of the things that I liked the most about this poem was that it was focused on the submission of a man to a woman. It was completely centred upon the needs and drives of the woman in this. And the fact that the poor man is left frozen and in a truly horrible position… well, it wasn’t nice. But at least it was something a little different.
Although this was an incredibly quick and easy read. It is one that has stuck with me long after I turned that final page. It is strong, intense and kind of unforgettable. The imagery that just a few words bought to life are seriously potent and I just don’t have enough words for how amazing this writing was.
Title: Inferno Author: Dante Alighieri Series: Word Cloud Classics Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Classics, Horror, Poetry Dates read: 9th – 10th March 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Collection Publisher: Word Cloud Classics Year: 1320 5th sentence, 74th page: So many voices issued through those trunks
“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!”
On a divine journey through the depths of Hell, Dante–with his guide, the poet Virgil–witnesses the fate of Earth’s sinners. Inferno, a 14th century poem and the first part of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, paints an allegorical underworld in which sinners are punished in accordance with their sins. Journey through the darkness and meet famous historical and mythical figures and the fate that has become them, from Homer and Julius Caesar who dwell in Limbo with the unbaptized and the virtuous pagans, to Judas Iscariot and Satan himself, who dwell in the deepest circle of hell for the sin of treachery. Influential, even after seven centuries in print, readers of Inferno will appreciate the plethora of allusions both within and concerning this work, as well as the moral implications the story develops. Now available as part of the Word Cloud Classics series, Inferno is a must-have addition to the libraries of all classic literature lovers.
Until recently I hadn’t actually heard of Dante Alighieri. And then I found out that he is a classics author from the 1300s… and I was completely intrigued. Reading this collection of some of his works… yeah, I can completely understand the draw to his work and writings. It’s incredibly powerful and just… wow.
I read this around the same time that I started reading The Complete Works of Shakespeare. It’s interesting to compare the language styles and wording in the two different poets. I know that they come from different countries, different times (I think), but they’re both historical, classical powerhouses in the genre. And I love being able to compare the two.
I actually found Alighieri more delightful than Shakespeare. There was so much raw emotion in Inferno. The fear, the horror and the confusion just leaps off of the pages. The short, emotive language is of the sort that I plan to read again and again… there is just something amazingly potent and powerful about it all.
I’m not really a great reader of poetry. I do love it. I’m intrigued by it. But I can’t spend all afternoon sitting there just reading it… I need to be able to read a poem or two and then walk away. I still felt a little like this with this collection… but so much less so than many of the other poetry collections I’ve had the pleasure of reading. There was just something… enthralling about it all.
Title: The Poetry of Emily Dickinson Author: Emily Dickinson Series: Word Cloud Classics Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Classics, Poetry Dates read: 24th – 28th January 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Novel Publisher: Word Cloud Classics Year: 1890 5th sentence, 74th page: Her friend “H.H.” must at least have suspected it, for in a letter dated 5th September, 1884, she wrote: –
“This is my letter to the world . . .” — Emily Dickinson
The Poetry of Emily Dickinson is a collection of pieces by 19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson, who insisted that her life of isolation gave her an introspective and deep connection with the world. As a result, her work parallels her life—misunderstood in its time, but full of depth and imagination, and covering such universal themes as nature, art, friendship, love, society, mortality, and more. During Dickinson’s lifetime, only seven of her poems were published, but after her death, her prolific writings were discovered and shared. With this volume, readers can dive into the now widely respected poetry of Emily Dickinson.
This was a really interesting read. I’ve heard the name Emily Dickinson again and again over time. But I’ve never actually had the chance to sit down and enjoy her work. Now I understand why there’s such a rant and rave about her work. Especially since her poetry is so multilayered that no matter how many times I read this, I’m going to find something new to obsess over and be fascinated by.
I haven’t read much poetry lately. It takes another kind of thought process to sit down and appreciate this kind of work. But, reading this, it reminded me what it is about poetry that I love so much. There are so many different meanings to every word and line. No matter how many times you read it, a new meaning will come to light.
Poetry is also the most emotive form of writing. At least for me. And I was really absorbed by all of the feelings throughout these poems. They might provide insight into the author, but for me, poetry is always about processing your own emotions. I could read all of these poems again in a weeks time and get an entirely different experience from them. That is just how emotive I find this form of writing.
One other thing that I absolutely adored about Dickinson’sworks was that they were short. I could pick up this book and read a snippet, a short poem, feel complete and then head into the real world and responsibilities all over again. Although I don’t mind longer works, I do tend to find them a little harder to digest. I definitely didn’t have that problem with this collection!
Title: Picture Planes Author: Michaela Roessner In: Alien Sex (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Aliens, Lust, Poetry Dates read: 29th December 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Poem Publisher: ROC Year: 1990 5th sentence, 74th page: Where two steams of blood
A poem about sex, lust and the loss of innocence.
I can spend hours staring at one poem, pulling apart each nuance and meaning. It’s something I’m far more likely to do than when there is prose around. This poem made me so uncomfortable that I didn’t do that this time. After all, it’s in the Alien Sex collection, so it’s not going to be a comfortable story.
When I started reading this poem, I thought it was a little more innocent. About sex, sexuality and that loss of innocence that goes along with it.
It’s not.
It’s more about possession and rape and horrible aspects of sexuality. Or at least, that’s what I got out of it.
Title: Kwaku Anansi Walks the World’s Web Author: Jane Yolen In: The Coyote Road (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Poetry, Tricksters Dates read: 17th October 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Firebird Fantasy Year: 2007 5th sentence, 74th page: Kwaku Anansi, and tell us a tale.
A poem that explores the intircacies and trickeries of Kwaku Anansi.
This is a quick, sharp pithy little poem. Each line had few
words and made the poem flow with a quick beat. Which was perfect for a poem
which featured the trickster Anansi. After all, tricksters are always portrayed
as quick, nimble and intense characters. They don’t stay still for long, and
they’re constantly on the move. Kind of like this poem.
I truly love Jane Yolen’spoetry – it is always so multilayered. I know that I could read this again and again, and find something new and exciting each and every time. Even though this is a simpler and quicker poem than I am used to, there are still layers of trickery that I really enjoyed. Especially when reading late at night with the lights down low… it just added an extra bit of atmosphere.
Anansi is a spider trickster god, and this poem certainly
spun a web. It was intricate and beautiful. Yet, when you looked beneath the
surface – uncomplicated. Definitely one that I will enjoy reading again in the
future.
Title: Uncle Tompa Author: Midori Snyder In: The Coyote Road (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Poetry, Tricksters Dates read: 12th June 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Poem Publisher: Firebird Fantasy Year: 2007 5th sentence, 74th page: His stomach rumbles, hungering for mischief
Uncle Tompa is a trickster from folklore. One who Snyder highlights seamlessly in her beautiful poem, Uncle Tompa.
I love when you read a poem and it makes you want to dive
right into the subject matter and find out more. The fact that this poem
featured a trickster from folklore just tickled my fancy all the more. It was
actually incredibly sad that it was only two pages long.
The ebb and flow of Snyder’s poem was good like most of the modern, fantasy poems that I’ve been reading lately. But I loved the subject matter. There wasn’t really a tale that was highlighted or an adventure that anyone journeyed along, but there was a fun and humorous lead that jumped from the pages into your imagination. One that I imagined doing so with a wide grin plastered across his impish face.
Raven needs to win a bet and create the perfect bride. So how is he going to go about it?
This is a nice, quick and fun poem. It’s an easy read, but
one that has many hidden layers. I read it twice before I started trying to write
this review. After all, the hidden layers were happy to tell me something new each
and every re-read.
I really enjoy stories about Coyote and the Native American tricksters.
There is something that is a lot more fun and entertaining than some of the
other tricksters in mythology. It is a little less dark than many other
trickster stories. But there is still that great, fun sense of vengeance and
selfishness. A sense of equality in their very presence.
This poem had a very origins feel to it. Kind of like “how
the porcupine got its spines” or “how the camel got its hump” sort of story. Which
worked in brilliantly well with the trickster theme that runs throughout not
only this poem, but also the collection that I found it in.
Title: Run, Rabbit, Run Author: Jane Yolen In: Mad Hatters and March Hares (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Poetry Dates read: 29th March 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Tor Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: when the dogs caught his scent.
Why must the rabbit run? How does he truly work into the world of Alice?
This isn’t one of my favourite poems. It isn’t one of those
that sticks with me. But it was a fun and interesting journey. A great way to
finish a fantastic collection. Easy, and engaging without making me think too
hard.
I loved that the Mad Hatters and March Hares collection both started and ended with a poem. Both are light and funny. Interesting. A great way to think about a classic in an entirely different way.
The rabbit is such an iconic aspect of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and you can understand completely why he caught Yolen’sattention. What a great way to finish such a fun journey… I just don’t have the words beyond that.
A poem which gives a more adult, and slightly more disturbed outlook to the original tale of Cinderella.
One of my favourite things about poems is the multitude of
meanings that a very few words can describe. The multitude of ways in which mere
words can tell an entire story. It’s something that prose just can’t quite
manage. Prose can fill in more information, but I find that poetry can often
find more meaning.
I’ve always liked (ok, maybe loved) the original version
more than the Disney PG one. It’s far more gory, the revenge that Cinderella is
able to get it way better and it just is so much more yay. At least for my crazy
brain. And this poem manages to take it a whole extra step. Making Cinderella’s
voice far less passive and more aggressive. Which I just completely ate up.
