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mckinlay's review
3.0
as someone who has never truly been in love or in a relationship, I had a hard time relating to any of the poems. But i still think they were beautiful. You'd probably get more out of this if you knew what any of the feelings she expresses in her poems felt like.
rebeccazh's review
i really loved reading this chapbook. all the poems are all so soft
seoltang's review
5.0
‚Heaven or This‘ is the poetry collection of a girl who finds new, undiscovered paths in her love and is not afraid to spill the whole story. and with whole story i mean the dusty nooks of „do you have a boyfriend yet?“ and „you are such good friends“ because Topaz Winters is a girl who loves girls, „who loves girls so deeply that it feels like loving doves or knives“.
it might confuse you when i say that i found this collection not to be entirely about love. instead, the poems reveal just as much about the softness of Winters and the unconditional journey she is on. never did i imagine to stumble upon words that are raw in their sincerity, but no less heartbreaking. in her piece ‚The Rememberings‘ she expresses what i am trying to capture in this review: „Say it soft— / heroic sacrifice. Political statement. Say it like / nail-polished fingers that never fit together.“
the act of girls loving girls is revolutionary. we have existed for centuries, forever, but still we are revolutionary – by existing we are rebelling. in light of the recent events in Orlando and the hate crime against the lgbt community, this counts more than ever. „Name this triumph in living“ , Winters continues in the same poem and leaves me gutted.
in 'Heaven or This' i found strength, and peace, and i have thought about it more than once since i laid it down. Winters created a collection full of warmth and believe me when i say that i am truly looking forward to more of her fearless work.
it might confuse you when i say that i found this collection not to be entirely about love. instead, the poems reveal just as much about the softness of Winters and the unconditional journey she is on. never did i imagine to stumble upon words that are raw in their sincerity, but no less heartbreaking. in her piece ‚The Rememberings‘ she expresses what i am trying to capture in this review: „Say it soft— / heroic sacrifice. Political statement. Say it like / nail-polished fingers that never fit together.“
the act of girls loving girls is revolutionary. we have existed for centuries, forever, but still we are revolutionary – by existing we are rebelling. in light of the recent events in Orlando and the hate crime against the lgbt community, this counts more than ever. „Name this triumph in living“ , Winters continues in the same poem and leaves me gutted.
in 'Heaven or This' i found strength, and peace, and i have thought about it more than once since i laid it down. Winters created a collection full of warmth and believe me when i say that i am truly looking forward to more of her fearless work.
anahhs's review
3.0
i liked some poems more than the others. there might have been a bit too many... abstract comparisons in a row, at times for my taste but the ones i liked, i really did! for example, an excerpt of one:
"I ignore the questions cascading around me.
With one hand I eat the food of a land I am
learning to call my own, even as it pushes me further away.
With the other I send her text messages under the table, feel the ground beneath my feet return to holy as I do."
the imagery is so clear and meaningful. i hope the author continues to experience love with no regards for the fires!
"I ignore the questions cascading around me.
With one hand I eat the food of a land I am
learning to call my own, even as it pushes me further away.
With the other I send her text messages under the table, feel the ground beneath my feet return to holy as I do."
the imagery is so clear and meaningful. i hope the author continues to experience love with no regards for the fires!
amandanemer's review
2.0
“and when there are no gods still alive enough to smite—
i fall in love with the way she unfurls into light.”
i felt that
i fall in love with the way she unfurls into light.”
i felt that
heresthepencil's review
4.0
we are holding hands in the barrel of a gun.
they pull the trigger, but when she is kissing me
only cherry blossoms come out.
there's sth so pure & magical abt reading poetry about girls loving girls written by girls. that bittersweet ache in ur heart when every single word resonates with u. & topaz's poems r so beautiful in their softness; enchanting & raw with emotions.