Author: Amaboo

Genre: Poetry

The very first poem hit me like a runaway train going 300 miles per hour. Every word served a purpose and each one contributed to the overall impact of the poem. It was like getting punched by an emotional piston, only the intensity grew with each line.

One of my favorite lines in the entire collection was from "I, Death":

[ I, death, belong with the light, existing with its radiant lies in the midst of my honesty and authenticity.]

The diction is actually quite simple, but the syntax allowed for a deeper meaning. The way that particular line talks about death as if it were this looming entity that exists alongside the light's "radiant lie[s]" was just beautiful.

In fact, the poet's incredible diction extremely consistent throughout all of the poems, with the exception being "The Truth, The Key..." as that one was very direct and didn't have a more challenging .

As an overall poem, I feel that "Epiphany in Effigy..." was actually one of the best poems written in the book, albeit a little tricky to understand. I haven't gotten around to fully understanding it myself, but one of the things I loved about it was the details: ["Eighty roses.../...cold custard stare of jealousy/How your Netherland mindset revisited me twice.../This silver sugar cover of yours is so ridiculous and cliché..."] I feel like there's quite a bit hidden in there that I'm not getting just yet. The word choice and detailing is incredible and fascinating at the same time.

To be honest, I think that's one of my gripes with this book. Poems are written with such strikingly different words, and yet I fail to make sense of what's going on. Some poems feel strong while others feel too overdone.

Advice: Don't sacrifice depth and diction, but try and think of your reader. If the reader can't understand or empathize with the poems, there's almost no point. Maybe try toning down the complicated wording on some of the poems. Make it clear to the reader that you're talking about this topic or that theme, all the while the underlying message or hidden motif is still lurking beneath the misleadingly simple stanza. Personally, I love poems with depth, but too challenging of a narrative or language is a turn off; makes it feel like it's more style over substance.

Thematic consistency seems to make up a majority of the poet's style, with strength being the key theme. A lot of the poems are centered on the idea of the victim gaining the strength they need to stand again. That said, every single poem oozes strength. As I've stated before, the poet's control over diction is incredible. The figurative strength translates into literal verbal strength with how hard-hitting every line and word is. The poet's voice is strong and comes through in every single poem. There's an undeniable conviction in her words; as if the poems were her way of making her stand against the injustices she had experienced.

Now, if we're talking about style in terms of writing style, I will say that the mid rhymes and the use of first-person POV are the greatest identifiers of the poet's writing style, with long lines being a close second.

There were a lot of varying rhyme schemes used, albeit some were less obvious than others. It took me quite a bit of rereading in order to really see them. From my reading I could see the following used: mid-rhymes, metaphors, personification, similes, and of course, enjambment.

A majority of the poems utilize near/mid-rhymes, which creates a sort of bounce or rhythm between lines. It also allows the continuation of the rhyme scheme if lines are too long.

Metaphors are probably the second most noticeable devices used.

It's wonderful to see a poet who has good command over a large amount of poetic devices. It's a good sign that their content isn't repetitive and there's usually some underlying meaning hidden behind their reasons for using such varied amounts of techniques.

I feel as though a majority of the poems in this book had the intention of showing strength and defiance in the face of a hopeless or unfair situation. I can say for a fact that they achieved their purpose. Some of the poems start out with a hopeless beginning, but the transition from victim to survivor is obvious and satisfying and none more so than the transition in the titular poem, "Scars of Armor".

A lot of the poems in here are very interesting. There are many other poems about strength and recovery, but what makes this poetry collection stand out is that it delivers its message much more effectively than most.

One of the poems that really struck me with its originality was, "Diamond in the Shadows" as it felt like something I wholeheartedly understand. It took a stand against those who would demean others just because they were, for lack of a better phrase, more academically or physically talented. There are many poems about the weak being victims, but very rarely are there poems that try to sympathize with those on the other side of that wall.

There are some poems that have very interesting titles, such as "The Ocean Is a Liar" or "Hungry Girl Fetish". I like the strangeness of the titles and poems; it's definitely welcome in a sea of cliché, carbon-copy poems.

In regards to grammar and punctuation, the poet has done an awesome job at making sure both were immaculate throughout the poems. It felt like there was a purpose to the punctuation or lack thereof.

The theme of inner strength and realization is very apparent from the moment one reads the first poem 'til the last. I think that translating to other languages is very possible in the poems here and that they would be able to retain their general meanings. For example, I was mentally translating "Scars of Armor" into Tagalog. I felt like the meaning wouldn't be lost just because its conviction and purpose is so clear.

While the themes are applicable to anyone hurting, the diction is not. Some of the lines require analysis and awareness for any underlying messages or not-so-obvious poetic devices. If reading for meaning had a difficulty level, I would say that this is medium-to-hard; not too difficult to read, but also not for the casual reader.

I loved the poems I've read thus far. They're smart, deep, and unapologetic in their delivery of their messages. My only issue would be that they're difficult to understand. As a reader, I feel like I tend to quickly gloss over things I don't understand. I tried my darnedest to really dive into the meaning of certain poems, but I had to give up and leave it half-read.

Other than that, there's a lot to appreciate here. From the emotional impact to the varying types of poetic devices and standout poem topics. There is not an ounce of cliché in this poetry book and that makes it a winner to me. Nicely done!

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I'm open to discussions about anything that was written here. Just let me know!

Sincerely, Repulsify