pickI came across “a violence” in an anthology and knew I had to find more of Sealey‘s work. Surprisingly my closest library had both Ordinary Beast and The Ferguson Report available.
This is a solid collection. A lot more humor than I expected, quite a bit of experimentation. Sealey has a powerful voice and I‘m glad she‘s on my radar now.
so-soI struggled with a good handful of these poems. Maybe two handfuls. I felt that, too often, clarity was sacrificed for form. There‘s a lot of experimental play with language & structure. In theory, I‘m all for that. In the practice of reading this collection, I felt my theoretical support waver.
*Review cont‘d in comments 👇🏻
“You should know that human limbs burn like branches and branches like human limbs.
Only after man began hanging man from trees
then setting him on fire, which would jump
from limb to branch like a bastard species
of bird, did we come to know such things.”
Many of Sealey‘s poems are about the experience of being black. Sometimes her words are so awful...but powerful. 🖤
#poemsbeforephones
Thinking about just supplanting my “About Me” with the titles of my #currentreads. 😆
#poemsbeforephones
Reading in my fluffy futon chair by the window & enjoying the spring air. 🍃I‘m nearing the end of this collection. This is the first poem & it remains one of my favorites. 💕
I woke up late this morning. Trying to recharge my body after a never-ending cold. I don‘t have much going on today (until dinner plans). So, I‘ll just rest, rest, rest & try to avoid spooky wind & erratic vehicles. 🤞🏻
“Scientists say the average human
life gets three months longer every year.
By this math, death will be optional. Like a tie
or dessert or suffering....”
One of the best books of #poetry I‘ve read in a while. I also now own two of these somehow but I wouldn‘t say I‘m complaining 🤷🏽♂️
so-soPoems. Understand maybe 1/20 poems I've ever read enough to extract any meaning from it - this collection is no different. I've no head for it.
"You look just like your mother, he says who looks just like a fire of suspicious origin"
One of my favorite library patrons came in to pick up her hold today (the tagged book). When I mentioned that one of my New Year‘s goals is to read more poetry she offered - enthusiastically & then a little abashed at how excited she was - to give me a list of her favorites from the year. I obviously said, “Heck yeah! Hit me!”
Here are her Top 3:
“Good Bones” - Maggie Smith
“Calling a Wolf a Wolf” - Kaveh Akbar
“Don‘t Call Us Dead” - Danez Smith
pickThis book of poems is divided into three sections. I was worried at first that it wasn't going to live up to the hype, but spending more time with it, and particularly the third section, convinced me that it does. Exploring race in America, myth, love and death with both beauty and stark reality.
Ordinary Beast | 
