Siren Song

by Tawni Waters

In these enraptured, playful, furious poems, the world of myth enters real life. An unhappy housewife is transformed by a wandering guitarist into Mary Magdalene; suburban Arizona serves as a battleground between Isis, Osiris, and Set; Persephone begs the sleeping Hades to abandon his sterile divinity and join her in the daylight, "hungry / humble / naked." In Siren Song, you will also meet the poet herself. For Tawni Waters, speaking as the goddess is not simply a performance, not just a homage offered to ancient tales: it is a method for making sense of the real world, for re-casting her own experiences in the light of these icons. "Underneath the lies you have believed, you are already perfect. The nightmare is already ending. When the top-40-hits and laugh tracks and freeways grow silent, voices you are not yet equipped to hear sing endlessly of dawn." Siren Song invites us to live the more imaginative and more self-forgiving life that, in our hearts, we already know is real.

88 pages, Paperback

First published December 8, 2014

Reviews

[Jerry Weinstein · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is pseudo-feminist schlock, with a smattering of high school learnt biblical and classical tales. Tawni Waters' "Siren Song" is so tawdry and hippy-dippy that I am reminded of Jewel's "A Night Without Armor" debacle 15 years ago.
After enjoying Tawni Waters' remarkable success with her début novel "Beauty of the Broken", I was looking forward to more of the same bravery-in-the-face-of-brutality themes. And whereas other readers of "Beauty of the Broken" found the open-ended and ambiguous ending disconcerting or unsatisfactory, I found it wonderfully non-conformist and imaginative.
However Tawni Waters' pitiful poetry bears none of the admirable qualities of her novel. Instead it reads like the alcohol and cannabis-infused ramblings of lovelorn adolescent girls. I would advise the author to continue producing original prose works, and avoid any publishing company with a name as trashy as "Burlesque".

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful collection of poems that reimagines and reinterprets myth. I adore biblical and Egyptian mythology, so this collection was a special treat. My personal favorites are the Isis and Osiris narratives, however the Mary Magdalene story line is equally compelling. If you love mythology, this collection should be on your shelf.

[Merridith Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astounding. A bold and haunting first collection of what can only be described as a spiritual Odyssey. From Gestation to the gorgeous ending, Waters spins a magic web. Do not miss out!