This is the kind of collection where I can't really find a single great poem or quote to include in a blog post, because I'd want to include them all. I don't think I had ever heard of Andrea Gibson before I read this book, but I know who they are now. And I am pretty well enamored. It's a difficult book on one level - dealing with suicide, broken hearts, homophobia, feelings of being unaccepted by God and family, drug-addiction, depression. You know, that kind of thing. But. But. The voice is beautiful and also accessible, conversational but with fantastic metaphors and imagery and sound. And there is a stubborn fierce underlying (and sometimes overlying) sense of hope and love that carries everything to a completely different level.
After reading the book, and before I posted my Sealey Challenge tweet, I checked Gibson's account, and saw their video from last month in which they share with fans that they were diagnosed with cancer and have had a full ("radical") hysterectomy. It was a message, more than anything, of love. Amazing to hear from someone in that position saying that what has come about from the whole potentially horrific experience is a profound sense of love and gratitude. Truly inspiring, as is their poetry.
No comments:
Post a Comment