Dark Designs by Micah Taylor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A collection of poems exploring the often suffocating and disturbing moments in life

If you have ever travelled in an overcrowded public transport or been shoved around, jostled in busy streets where people keep rushing onwards to their uncertain futures, you would know the bitterness that sometimes seep into our ordinary lives. This book reflects upon those dark moments when we were pushed down and trampled on. The authorial voice speaks without restraint, voicing her distaste for capitalist society, rebuking the flawed education system that encourage children to start mugging up information, and the mindless fantasies that a patriarchal culture imposes on the minds of little girls.

We are taught to endure the hard times, slog through the unfair circumstances and made to believe in the concept of waiting for the "right man" instead of chasing our own ambitions. There are instances in the poems, "I couldn't shut off the sound/couldn't drown out/my own voice", where the narrator describes a sense of feeling overpowered by anxieties and nagging thoughts that seem to agonize them day in and out. Micah probably uses "silence" and "void" to signify the problems of mental health issues or the toxic habit of self-deprecation, which has the potential to upset anyone's peace of mind.

It is also interesting to note how Nadia interprets the poems in her own unique style of illustrations, creating a poignant dialogue between the two that adds another layer of meaning to the text. The poem "Void" featured at the end of the collection compares the urge to escape reality, to find an addiction to distract oneself and we notice how the accompanying art is that of a woman being sucked into a spiralling wormhole of nothingness, her eyes closed, that shuts off her sense of direction and her arm extended towards the metaphorical void.

Although the language used in the poem lacks a certain fluidity or cadence that could have definitely added flavour to the writings, the consistency of the author's intention throughout the book makes it standout. For example, a poem that is likely to leave an indelible impression on the reader's mind is "Suffering Illusions", as it precisely describes the mental burdens we pick up unintentionally and that eventually weighs us down until a distant melody reminds us of our true purpose in life again. Overall, a good read for people who enjoy poetry with a healthy dose of resentment for injustices.

(Note: ARC obtained on Reedsy Discovery)



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