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before i go i want you to know: poetry & stories from a human disaster
It is human nature to be drawn to train wrecks.
In this collection of poetry, short stories, and artwork, Rue Sparks exposes the reality of broken bones, scraped knees, and calloused hands.
We rehearse tragedy by reliving the stories of those that have been there; believing that if we tread that road enough times we will be ready for the improbable.
But there are some wrecks that can't be prettied up for public consumption. Some pain has no purpose, and happily ever after is never the end of the story. Sometimes we keep going not for cosmic retribution, our just reward, or as an inspirational anecdote.
We keep going simply because we have no other choice.
In this collection of poetry, short stories, and artwork, Rue Sparks exposes the reality of broken bones, scraped knees, and calloused hands.
We rehearse tragedy by reliving the stories of those that have been there; believing that if we tread that road enough times we will be ready for the improbable.
But there are some wrecks that can't be prettied up for public consumption. Some pain has no purpose, and happily ever after is never the end of the story. Sometimes we keep going not for cosmic retribution, our just reward, or as an inspirational anecdote.
We keep going simply because we have no other choice.
136 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 27, 2024
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About the author
Rue Sparks
9 books54 followersthey/them | author, artist, and advocate
Rue Sparks is a composite of neurosis and nonsense held together by duct tape and sheer stubbornness. Their brand of poetry and prose can be hard to define. Genre-defiant? Certainly. Quirky, eccentric, imaginative. Rainbow dystopian. Guillotine fiction. “Dysfunctional but functioning”. Hopepunk.
Or simply: weird.
A widow, disabled, and queer, there are common themes that tie their work together: found family, grief, queerness, mental health. Add a dash of lyrical, flowing prose and you’re most of the way there.
Just don’t forget the tissue warning.
Rue Sparks is a composite of neurosis and nonsense held together by duct tape and sheer stubbornness. Their brand of poetry and prose can be hard to define. Genre-defiant? Certainly. Quirky, eccentric, imaginative. Rainbow dystopian. Guillotine fiction. “Dysfunctional but functioning”. Hopepunk.
Or simply: weird.
A widow, disabled, and queer, there are common themes that tie their work together: found family, grief, queerness, mental health. Add a dash of lyrical, flowing prose and you’re most of the way there.
Just don’t forget the tissue warning.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 1, 2024
I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy and whew did I feel the weight of emotion and grief! The pieces made me think, reflect, imagine, and I felt they were very powerful – I was moved through the entire reading journey. As always with Rue’s work, I recommend a tissue box nearby. I will suggest this to everyone, but especially anyone who has recently gone /is going through grief.
Favorite lines include:
I’m the knight in my story and someone else’s dragon
I lean towards the things that shed light onto who I really am
I can’t install a firewall or run a virus scan when I am so deep into the lies my brain tells me
Favorite lines include:
I’m the knight in my story and someone else’s dragon
I lean towards the things that shed light onto who I really am
I can’t install a firewall or run a virus scan when I am so deep into the lies my brain tells me
Displaying 1 of 1 review