Poems of the Unrequited Clinically Depressed Ghost Girl

by Kathryn Anne Lavelle

The poems in this collection are about survival, resiliency, grief, love and healing. It is about the search to find home, the home of our spirit, and the home where our heart longs to be. It is about the ghost girl, fighting for breath and her voice among the complex navigation we must all do in order to find, heal and eventually complete ourselves. The journey is the canvass, and the footprints we leave behind become the art and poetry of evidence as we walk our story onward.

Genres: Poetry

69 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2014

About the author

I am a poet, singer, songwriter, performer, animal lover, social justice activist, warrior woman, mother, daughter, sister, auntie, grandmother, girlfriend, lover...

I am all of these things, held together by the knowledge that there is a much bigger picture then the one I envision.

My purpose is to evolve as a writer, a human, and a spirit.

Reviews

[Guy Vestal - Counter Culture Critic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review appears Here: Poems of the Unrequited Clinically Depressed Ghost Girl - Review As well as at Amazon, and a mention at the book trailer at the publishers website.

Today we have something quite rare, so don't even get used to seeing this. We have a 5 star review. But before anyone should even care, or show a lack of caring, it is important to say that the only reason this gets 5 stars is because it has entered the "right time, right place" zone.

If this had been read and reviewed 2 months ago, it would have gotten 4, it it had been read 2 months from now, it would have gotten 4.

I came into this saying to myself... "No biggie, looks like a nice read, and I can relate. Life sucks at times, so what, that's the other guy, not me, I am beyond all that bullshit."

But then I started getting into the work, and realized that I was about as deep into denial as it gets. Not only was this not the other guy, but I was nowhere near beyond any of my own bullshit.

Let me tell you upfront, if you got a lot of shit going on in your life, and you're dragging, this is going to rip your guts out, so if you are not ready to have your demons revisited, I suggest you stay away from this work until you are ready to hurt. I myself was not ready, but was glad I got caught off guard, because if I would have continued down this road I recently just lead myself onto, I would have been worse off later. TRust me, I was watching what was going on with me, and just figured I could beat it back, and stuff it, as I had done for so many decades in the past. But now there is freedom from these recent demons, and a new way of thinking that just might convince me to let some of the old ones out, and dispatch them.

Most of the poetry is short, but it hits hard and fast. There is a variety of issues addressed, but the central theme remains the same. Pain, only the circumstances change here and their from piece to piece.

Some of them read 2 pages, but for the most part, the book is %35 whitespace, which is acceptable for a book of poetry.

I paid $8.09 at Amazon, and it was a little more than what the book itself is worth. The cover is slightly below average in paper quality, but the cover image is beautiful. The paper is heavy, the ink is dark, the type is clear and readable, and it does hold up well to page folding. Overall, the content inside makes the book invaluable, the price to me is nothing more than another price I have paid in life, and no longer holds a monetary value, after reading the work.

You don't have to be a "Girl" to read this, in fact, this goes beyond gender, even though gender is mentioned here and there. For me, gender just seemed like the shell that this was all housed in, and that this road is no respecter of persons, and has no qualms dragging you through the same sadness and eventual healing and love.

Half of me wants to call this author a "Bitch" for exposing the secret club handshake of the hurting and hidden, and the other half just wants to give her a big hug and tell her, "It's gonna be ok now, I get it, thanks..."

I didn't have any favorite pieces throughout the body of the work, because the work as a whole spoke to me both as a whole, and to each individual issue that each individual piece of work seemed to empathize with. To tell you the truth, I found myself simply reading through it as one body of work, non-stop, with the titles each simply being a faded roadsign that I passed along the road.

This is not a fun-time book to read just for the hell of it, it is a serious read, and you might want to pass it by if you can't be serious about yourself. It is just you and this book alone when reading, you are the one that has to live alone with the words after you are done, trying to "stuff" this back down in your trap door with all the demons isn't going to make anything any better...

[Danielle Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Ever get that feeling when you're upset or depressed, that no matter what your head tells you, you're alone and no one could possibly understand?
As soon as I started this book, it was like someone draping their arm over my shoulders and saying "I know how you feel, I truly understand, you're not alone." And you just can't help but believe it.
Not only did these poems move me like this, it also gives the reader (I'd say more so if they're currently going through hard times) a glimmer of hope for themselves. If someone else can understand so well, and feel the same things, maybe I can feel that hope and happiness one day too.
I know my review is a bit sappy, so to wrap it up: if poetry that embraces melancholy, then I recommend this whole heartedly!

Now to put the obligatory message: I received my copy for free from goodreads firstreads.

[Mariah Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there was an option to give this book three and a half stars, I would.

Like the line in her poem 'The Fire'-Kathryn Anne Lavelle is most certainly "fluent in despair" From her poem 'Out to Sea' to 'Cold Alone' there is a strong current of sadness in this book.

I liked the poem Looking Up because, although it was short, it was well crafted and I liked the imagery in it. I was especially fond of the last lines.

I also really enjoyed 'Under The Snow' for all the things it implies.


I recommend this book to anyone, especially those who aren't afraid of a little raw emotion.

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book of poetry as a winner in first reads. I thought it was great. Pretty depressing, but hey, you know that going in from the title. It's been a long time since I've read just some poetry. You could really feel her raw pain and emotion, and unfortunate loss. It's an easy, short read. You could breeze right through it, but I'd recommend this you take your time so you can receive what you're reading. I particularly liked The Look. The way her heart is described especially. I also really enjoyed Gratitude. Seems like there's a little hope there:) Good read.

[Clare Scanlan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really heartfelt poems. Enjoyed them as the words were very evocative and very well written. I just prefer my poems to have rhythm and to rhyme.