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Past Lives
Grounded in the urgency of the moment – motherhood, housing precarity, politics – Past Lives also surges along on the nervous and joyful electricity of Leah Dodd' s voice, taking us from buses to poetry readings, rental bathrooms to Runescape, sometimes through the power of astral projection. These poems encounter domestic and feral creatures, mermaids, and men with terrible mullets. In form these poems are restless and spacious, constantly locating themselves, as the author herself does in her new life with a young child who shapeshifts daily. Most of all, these poems are about becoming – how, as we move toward the future, we turn our thoughts backwards towards the lives we have come from.
- GenresPoetry
96 pages, Paperback
Published September 7, 2023
1 person is currently reading
35 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 22, 2023
Love Leah and love this book! She has such an original voice and style. This book made me laugh out loud and say “awwwwww” heaps. My favourite poems are ‘snails’, ‘stone fruit’, ‘tether’, ‘ilovekeats69’, and ‘tips for lockdown wellness’.
April 16, 2025
I loved this book. It’s simultaneously silly and serious and intimate. It also speaks so clearly to life in Wellington, with such love of this place!
Quote from “revolution”, one of my favourite poems of the collection:
“cars are bad and we should replace them with bats
just fill the streets with thousands of bats”
Quote from “revolution”, one of my favourite poems of the collection:
“cars are bad and we should replace them with bats
just fill the streets with thousands of bats”
May 7, 2023
im lactating
May 7, 2023
i was only ever patriotic for genovia 🦇
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May 3, 2025Brb
Gotta go do some lines with my library card
4.5
⭐️
Gotta go do some lines with my library card
4.5
⭐️
June 20, 2025
‘Past Lives’, by Leah Dodd, is a beautifully executed poetry collection that serves as a reflection of how we, as humans, interact with our past and how our experiences shape us as individuals. This text delves into the intense themes of femininity and the decisions we must make as we age, allowing us to question who we really are amidst our busy lifestyles. Each poem is unique in its own way, though they all connect in order to portray the underlying message of self-reflection and how, as we move toward the future, we turn our thoughts backward towards the lives we have come from.
What struck me the most was the strong feminist undertone Dodd managed to weave into every poem. She explores the highs and lows of womanhood while leaving nothing out, serving as a form of connection with her readers, making the messages of the poems direct and real.
The many references Dodd incorporates into her poems hold deep significance, as they allow each reader to connect their own experiences and perspectives to her words. One of my favourite poems from this collection is ‘muscle memory’, particularly the line:
“I find a Stevie Nicks top for $6 at Vinnies that retails for $200. I try it on but in the fitting room light. It hangs sad on my bruised body. I don’t know which clothes suit the shape of me.”
This line originally stood out to me as Stevie Nicks got a mention, and I adore her. However, as I re-read it, it is evident that she is not just using Nicks for aesthetic appeal, but as a symbol of powerful, glamorous femininity that feels out of reach. The contrast between the top that she found, which is associated with music and confidence, and the poet’s discomfort in her own skin highlights the internal struggle of body image faced by many.
It is especially important to note that this is Dodd’s first collection, with around 60 poems, demonstrating her ability to produce work of a very high quality at a young age. I look forward to seeing how she grows as a writer.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Past Lives’. It is a collection you can read in under an hour, yet the messages linger long after. I recommend this book to a wide range of ages, though I believe girls of teenage years will get the most out of what the poems have to offer, due to the central theme of female experiences and how they shape our futures.
What struck me the most was the strong feminist undertone Dodd managed to weave into every poem. She explores the highs and lows of womanhood while leaving nothing out, serving as a form of connection with her readers, making the messages of the poems direct and real.
The many references Dodd incorporates into her poems hold deep significance, as they allow each reader to connect their own experiences and perspectives to her words. One of my favourite poems from this collection is ‘muscle memory’, particularly the line:
“I find a Stevie Nicks top for $6 at Vinnies that retails for $200. I try it on but in the fitting room light. It hangs sad on my bruised body. I don’t know which clothes suit the shape of me.”
This line originally stood out to me as Stevie Nicks got a mention, and I adore her. However, as I re-read it, it is evident that she is not just using Nicks for aesthetic appeal, but as a symbol of powerful, glamorous femininity that feels out of reach. The contrast between the top that she found, which is associated with music and confidence, and the poet’s discomfort in her own skin highlights the internal struggle of body image faced by many.
It is especially important to note that this is Dodd’s first collection, with around 60 poems, demonstrating her ability to produce work of a very high quality at a young age. I look forward to seeing how she grows as a writer.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Past Lives’. It is a collection you can read in under an hour, yet the messages linger long after. I recommend this book to a wide range of ages, though I believe girls of teenage years will get the most out of what the poems have to offer, due to the central theme of female experiences and how they shape our futures.
April 22, 2023
If my IUD ever fails, it will be because of this book.
Past Lives is tender and sharp.
tether is a special favourite of mine, and I will be campaigning for bus poem 4 to become Wellington Regional Council's new slogan.
Past Lives is tender and sharp.
tether is a special favourite of mine, and I will be campaigning for bus poem 4 to become Wellington Regional Council's new slogan.
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February 13, 2025‘and nobody looked at us because we weren’t back home / we were just kids anyway / what’s to see’
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March 30, 2025yummy yummy in my tummy
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews