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fantasynovel's review against another edition
5.0
Poems that make you go, how can anyone be this talented??
laurelinwonder's review against another edition
5.0
Shapero contemplates the long investments and fleeting attachments humans make in their turmoil-ridden lives, exuding both mischievousness and melancholy while maintaining a sort of crude optimism. A new mother, her admission in the title poem that “there isn’t one/ human tradition I would choose to carry/ forward” reveals as much about her poetry as her lack of interest in doing things conventionally. Shapero demonstrates an ability to follow observations to unexpected ends.
Shapero’s way of entering poems is irresistible: “Museums of war, they bore me.” They are a comedian’s hook, already prodding the audience to anticipatory laughter. In the body of the poems she deploys what I’d call one-liners, even if they aren’t: “A bird screams out my window like an alarm I have / set to notify me when a bird is there.”
This collection of poems is united not only by mode and voice, but also by its particular obsessions, including the surrealism of motherhood, a dubious God, and that “worst / sort of lurker,” death.
Shapero’s way of entering poems is irresistible: “Museums of war, they bore me.” They are a comedian’s hook, already prodding the audience to anticipatory laughter. In the body of the poems she deploys what I’d call one-liners, even if they aren’t: “A bird screams out my window like an alarm I have / set to notify me when a bird is there.”
This collection of poems is united not only by mode and voice, but also by its particular obsessions, including the surrealism of motherhood, a dubious God, and that “worst / sort of lurker,” death.
cstefko's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Overlooking the unfortunate cover (so literal!), I really loved this collection. Shapero is a poet that takes risk, and I appreciate that. Maybe not every metaphor and conceit worked out, but the ones that did... man, did they work. She touches quite a few subjects, but the collection is pretty controlled; they all seemed to tie in together. I have to say I feel very concerned for Shapero after reading this, but I know poems /= the poet necessarily. But seriously, things get pretty dark in this collection, so don't read it if you're easily triggered by mentions of suicide and depression.
The poems about motherhood were some of the strongest for me, weirdly, since I am not interested in the subject in general. But that's the power of her writing. It takes you by the shoulders and forces you to listen. Shapero really doesn't mince words. I know that's a phrase that gets said a lot, but for real, she doesn't hold back and she doesn't coddle the reader. I frequently cringed while reading these poems, but I couldn't look away. And I made sure to only read this book at times when I was completely undisturbed and undistracted, because I felt like they deserved my full attention (the fact that I don't always read every poetry collection that way is perhaps not good, haha).
Anyway, to circle back to motherhood... Shapero writes about the misgivings of bringing a child into a world with so much war and vice, this "thwarting era" as she calls it in "Survive Me." Some of the poems in the first section suggest miscarriage. My favorite was the poignant "What Will She Goes As?" which ruminates on possible costumes for a baby who would be born on Halloween, and coming up with historical babies who were lost (Moses, Baby Jessica, the Lindbergh baby). "This costume works best if the baby is nowhere to be found." In the opening poem, "My Hand and Cold," she talks about having two lists of baby names, one for if the baby survives and one for if the baby is lost, and somehow ties it into enclaves (yes, the geographical concept). She does that kind of thing throughout the collection so masterfully, and every time I was amazed by the creativity. That's what I meant by saying she takes risks. This whole collection, I felt like I was reading things I'd never read before, even on subjects that were familiar. Only she could have written these poems. That's so rare to find.
Later poems deal with postpartum depression. "Home Scale," which is featured on the back cover, hit me like a ton of bricks. You just really need to read this poem. Trust me.
The collection also touches on religion, but not in a preachy way, more of a spiritual questioning way. It made sense, what with all the existential angst going on.
I definitely recommend this one.
Overlooking the unfortunate cover (so literal!), I really loved this collection. Shapero is a poet that takes risk, and I appreciate that. Maybe not every metaphor and conceit worked out, but the ones that did... man, did they work. She touches quite a few subjects, but the collection is pretty controlled; they all seemed to tie in together. I have to say I feel very concerned for Shapero after reading this, but I know poems /= the poet necessarily. But seriously, things get pretty dark in this collection, so don't read it if you're easily triggered by mentions of suicide and depression.
The poems about motherhood were some of the strongest for me, weirdly, since I am not interested in the subject in general. But that's the power of her writing. It takes you by the shoulders and forces you to listen. Shapero really doesn't mince words. I know that's a phrase that gets said a lot, but for real, she doesn't hold back and she doesn't coddle the reader. I frequently cringed while reading these poems, but I couldn't look away. And I made sure to only read this book at times when I was completely undisturbed and undistracted, because I felt like they deserved my full attention (the fact that I don't always read every poetry collection that way is perhaps not good, haha).
Anyway, to circle back to motherhood... Shapero writes about the misgivings of bringing a child into a world with so much war and vice, this "thwarting era" as she calls it in "Survive Me." Some of the poems in the first section suggest miscarriage. My favorite was the poignant "What Will She Goes As?" which ruminates on possible costumes for a baby who would be born on Halloween, and coming up with historical babies who were lost (Moses, Baby Jessica, the Lindbergh baby). "This costume works best if the baby is nowhere to be found." In the opening poem, "My Hand and Cold," she talks about having two lists of baby names, one for if the baby survives and one for if the baby is lost, and somehow ties it into enclaves (yes, the geographical concept). She does that kind of thing throughout the collection so masterfully, and every time I was amazed by the creativity. That's what I meant by saying she takes risks. This whole collection, I felt like I was reading things I'd never read before, even on subjects that were familiar. Only she could have written these poems. That's so rare to find.
Later poems deal with postpartum depression. "Home Scale," which is featured on the back cover, hit me like a ton of bricks. You just really need to read this poem. Trust me.
The collection also touches on religion, but not in a preachy way, more of a spiritual questioning way. It made sense, what with all the existential angst going on.
I definitely recommend this one.
readingrosie's review against another edition
5.0
Poems that make you go, how can anyone be this talented??
jackieeh's review against another edition
5.0
I was going to read one poem and then I read the whole thing and then it was past my bedtime. Oops. Read if you like your humor dark and deep, and covering a core of substantive feeling that goes all the way to the bottom of the well.