The ramblings of a bibliophile.
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.
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.
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 absolutely loved this poem. Although Maleficent (or the evil fairy from Sleeping Beauty) has always seemed kind of a terrifying villain, she’s also been the one that I relate to the best. Well, maybe not relate to, but understand. After all, she is retaliating against an incredible slight. Plus, there are so many beautiful retellings in the world now which make her seem far less evil, and just… misunderstood.
I’m getting more and more into poetry as time passes. There is just something about the lyricism of the words and the symbolism they often impart. It just works beautifully. And the use of a female coyote in this story was just fantastic. I love that Dunn finds a way to impart the femininity of tricksters and can share this in so few pages.
I don’t think I’ve read the original tale of Puss in Boots. Although I have read a few retellings over time, and I thought that doing new take on an old classic using a poem was a quaint and attractive way in which to do so. This was quick, sharp, shiny and straight to the point. It was also well written, fun and great at highlighting the triumph of beast over man.
I knew that the collection Black Feathers was a horror collection based around birds. I knew this, and yet, it wasn’t until I read the opening poem that I really clicked as to what this truly meant. And then I was just uncomfortable. And drawn in. And imagining dark shadows soaring above us. This poem took me on a complete journey of horror and wonder. And in such a short amount of time.
I really loved this poem. I tend to find with poetry, some things just strike me beautifully, and some don’t really pull me in at all. But, probably because this is a story that is based on the women of fairy tales, I adored it. There was a great passage of time throughout the three stanzas and they captured the ways in which we change over time.
One of the things that I love most about this poem is the way in which it is laid out on the page. The entire thing takes the shape of a teacup with a wisp of steam coming from the top. The perfect poem and imagery to start off a collection of stories based around Alice in Wonderland.
Every now and then it is nice to read a good little poem. And this one fit that bill – it was only four stanzas, and the language utilised is quite evocative. At least, it made me think of shadows whispering along moonlit nights and avenues. Nights where the monsters roam.
