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manderzreadz's review against another edition
2.0
I was not impressed with this collection of poems.
implicushions's review against another edition
4.0
i don't read a whole lot of poetry in general, and even less new poetry, so it was mostly by chance that i picked this one up. a good friend of mine jokes that when he doesn't know anything about a book he specifically judges it by its cover, and that's basically how i picked this one. the title caught my eye and i thought the minimalist design was pretty. luckily the entire thing turned out to be just as good.
there were a few poems that, although they didn't really do anything for me, were still well put together, i thought. other than those though, the whole collection was consistently beautiful and heartbreaking. i really enjoyed that these poems thematically complemented each other, that they actually felt like they belonged together. also i was surprised and excited to see someone use typographical experiments (more like games, really) and for it to not come across as cheap or gimmicky. but most impressive of all was mr. lee's beautiful turns of phrase, i mean wow. i'm definitely looking forward picking up copies of everything else he puts out. i'll end this with a couple of my favorite lines.
"Give it six months. If you don't like it,
you can have all your pain
and misery back."
"Each moment
of winter is so faint and silent it is a memory
even as you live it."
"Just yesterday.
I found new ways to say
I miss you, my god
how I miss you all."
there were a few poems that, although they didn't really do anything for me, were still well put together, i thought. other than those though, the whole collection was consistently beautiful and heartbreaking. i really enjoyed that these poems thematically complemented each other, that they actually felt like they belonged together. also i was surprised and excited to see someone use typographical experiments (more like games, really) and for it to not come across as cheap or gimmicky. but most impressive of all was mr. lee's beautiful turns of phrase, i mean wow. i'm definitely looking forward picking up copies of everything else he puts out. i'll end this with a couple of my favorite lines.
"Give it six months. If you don't like it,
you can have all your pain
and misery back."
"Each moment
of winter is so faint and silent it is a memory
even as you live it."
"Just yesterday.
I found new ways to say
I miss you, my god
how I miss you all."
historyoftape's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.75
A play in 3 Acts:
gunshot, knife, hollow aftermath
where grief is a thing both past & present
where addiction is a companion that seems to know the road too well
where every image is haunting and so many metaphors extended beyond singular poems
I thought about this a lot in subway cars and in between work shifts. Haven't been this consumed by a book in a while.
gunshot, knife, hollow aftermath
where grief is a thing both past & present
where addiction is a companion that seems to know the road too well
where every image is haunting and so many metaphors extended beyond singular poems
I thought about this a lot in subway cars and in between work shifts. Haven't been this consumed by a book in a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Alcohol, Death, Violence, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Gun violence and Injury/Injury detail
carpenoctumpoetry's review against another edition
5.0
Michael Lee is one of the very first poets whose work I ever fell in love with, and The Only Worlds We Know feels like an incredible culmination of work. It deals largely with death and grief from so many angles and left a profound impact on me as a reader. It's one of the few collections I come back to again and again.
servemethesky's review against another edition
5.0
I had the pleasure of hearing Michael read at the Spirit Room in Rochester, NY. His poems were so gripping, I knew I had to snag a copy of his book.
As I read them, I heard his voice in my ears. These poems are sharp and powerful, and reminded me of the [a:Hanif Abdurraqib|14133519|Hanif Abdurraqib|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1567950898p2/14133519.jpg] and [a:Ocean Vuong|4456871|Ocean Vuong|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1561472666p2/4456871.jpg] stuff I've been reading earlier this year. Lots of exploration of death, grief, addiction, and despair.
Looking forward to seeing what else Lee writes.
As I read them, I heard his voice in my ears. These poems are sharp and powerful, and reminded me of the [a:Hanif Abdurraqib|14133519|Hanif Abdurraqib|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1567950898p2/14133519.jpg] and [a:Ocean Vuong|4456871|Ocean Vuong|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1561472666p2/4456871.jpg] stuff I've been reading earlier this year. Lots of exploration of death, grief, addiction, and despair.
Looking forward to seeing what else Lee writes.
sahaar's review against another edition
5.0
"if old age is not actually defined by age but by one's proximity to death, i grew up with a group of thirteen year olds who were a thousand years each."
➵ 5 stars.
➵ 5 stars.
jaykosumi's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
I’m really glad I picked this one up after seeing snippets of Lee’s poems on Instagram and being intrigued. He definitely has a way with words that’s both immersive and atmospheric and I highlighted several lines that had clever word play, a careful choice of metaphors that complimented the themes of the poems, or that just struck me right through the heart.
I love how cohesive this collection is. It sticks to the themes of grief, trauma, depression and alcoholism, instead of stretching itself too thin as some other poetry collections I’ve read. The focus on a singular narrative allowed the author to write in-depth about his experiences. I loved how certain poems required more careful attention and a re-read to be properly understood, while others were more straightforward, thus conveying the depressive tone. It’s hard for me to find myself impressed by a lot of modern poetry, but this one blew me away and you could tell Lee put a lot of effort and passion into this one.
The only reason I’m not giving it five stars is because I felt the collection dragged at times, so it took me a while to read. Also—and this is very trivial, as it boils down to personal preference—I have discovered that the poetry I absolutely adore is the more abstract kind, that tells a broader story than just the writer’s personal experiences and struggles. Obviously, this isn’t a flaw of the book or author, but as all reviews are subjective, I couldn’t bring myself to give it a full rating, given it’s not *that* kind of poetry.
But with all being said, please pick up this book if you’re looking for poignant and beautiful poetry to read. If you find yourself connecting with the themes, it might even be a tearjerker for you.
I’m really glad I picked this one up after seeing snippets of Lee’s poems on Instagram and being intrigued. He definitely has a way with words that’s both immersive and atmospheric and I highlighted several lines that had clever word play, a careful choice of metaphors that complimented the themes of the poems, or that just struck me right through the heart.
I love how cohesive this collection is. It sticks to the themes of grief, trauma, depression and alcoholism, instead of stretching itself too thin as some other poetry collections I’ve read. The focus on a singular narrative allowed the author to write in-depth about his experiences. I loved how certain poems required more careful attention and a re-read to be properly understood, while others were more straightforward, thus conveying the depressive tone. It’s hard for me to find myself impressed by a lot of modern poetry, but this one blew me away and you could tell Lee put a lot of effort and passion into this one.
The only reason I’m not giving it five stars is because I felt the collection dragged at times, so it took me a while to read. Also—and this is very trivial, as it boils down to personal preference—I have discovered that the poetry I absolutely adore is the more abstract kind, that tells a broader story than just the writer’s personal experiences and struggles. Obviously, this isn’t a flaw of the book or author, but as all reviews are subjective, I couldn’t bring myself to give it a full rating, given it’s not *that* kind of poetry.
But with all being said, please pick up this book if you’re looking for poignant and beautiful poetry to read. If you find yourself connecting with the themes, it might even be a tearjerker for you.