Maybe Crown Nobel was too short. Or maybe I was not the right reader for Bianca Phipps’ poetry collection. As there was something about this that was off for me. I knew what they were saying, but sometimes I was not sure what the theme of the poem was. It felt at times that the language was abstract. Or there were pieces missing in the story.
However, it was an experience that I am glad I took. Phipps deals with serious subjects. But despite those somber themes, there is hope in many of their poems. Phipps takes modern subjects and mixes them in traditional formats of poems. However, as free verse, they are modern as well. It is clever and poetry readers should find the time to enjoy. Even though the book is terrible short, take your time. Do not rush. Each poem feels as if it flows into the next, but also each one is its own poem. This is not a novel, but a look into the diary and mind of the poet.
I would love to hear these poems spoken by the poet. There is a voice in each one that needs to literally be heard. You can interpret them on your own, but being able to listen to where they pause, what they emphasis and even how the look when reciting will give them a whole new meaning.
I did highlight a few lines or noted a few of the poems in my reading journal. (I did not write in the book as it is autographed). I am not sure I will go back to them but know at that moment they had meaning. And in the end that is what the book is about for. You, me and Phipps have a different take and will find meaning in different things due to when we read (or in Phipps case wrote) it.
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