BOATMAN

by Ashe Vernon

A conversation between the boatman of the River Styx and a woman who wants to die.



"D. A. Levy said, “If you want a revolution, return to your childhood & kick out the bottom.” In Boatman, Vernon takes you on this spirited journey where you are immediately immersed in a bold story brimming with the hard, beautiful blue of life, love & death. This symbolic collection shows you what it means to be human. It reveals the depths of the soul & how sometimes we just want to give up—how our legs can get tired of treading all the dark water. Thankfully, Ashe is beside us through the entire tale, showing us how to love the water instead of fear it— & when the weight of our heads & hearts get to be too much, they offer us a hand & lead us to the boat, they ask us to climb up in it with them, & in the end, the whole of the voyage teaches us how to save ourselves."
- Amanda Oaks, founder of Words Dance Publishing

Genres: Poetry, Education, Fantasy

59 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 12, 2016

Reviews

[Sincerely Bluejay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with a cup of coffee slushie and I think that was the most appropriate drink I could have chosen. It was melty in all the times I read of warmth and ice chunks surfaced when she mentioned the cold. Silly connection I know, but it made reading this all the more adventurous.

I truly enjoyed this. Poetry is exactly what the story needed, and it was penned to perfection. So many lines left me thinking and contemplating the importance of certain words or ideas and there were so many connections I could make and quite a bit of inspiration to be drawn from this as well. It was wonderfully penned and though I don't have too much more to say in this review, "Boatman" has definitely found it's way onto my list of favorites.

[Havelock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful little collection of poetry, with a narrative about life and surviving.

The poems tell a narrative about a young woman whose family heirloom is suicide, and the riverman/boat builder she befriend. A short read, but a wonderful read as well, and I'll definitely be returning to it.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novelette, short story, stage play, poetry. This book fills many compartments. An intriguing concept executed in an interesting manner. I'm not sure how I stumbled across this book--I never heard of the author--but I knew instantly that I wanted to read "Boatman" and I ordered it on the spot. It's not the norm, so don't expect a simple book of poetry. Difficult for me to choose between three and four stars. Four won out. The work behind the words, the recurrence of imagery, the structure itself earned my respect for the author. Broaden your horizons, try something new.

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed portrait of grief, deep in metaphor and emotions, worth a read for sure.

[Scott Langston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful prose/poetry.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was honestly surprised by how much this managed to touch me, its a great collection!

[Jake Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so beautiful.

[Morgan Nikola-Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous. Such a beautiful concept and you can practically taste the prose on your tongue.

[Riley Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly read this. It's hard to really explain why but there's a lot of lines inside of this book that will just seem to help make sense of the world as it is.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

D. A. Levy said, “If you want a revolution, return to your childhood & kick out the bottom.” In Boatman, Vernon takes you on this spirited journey where you are immediately immersed in a bold story brimming with the hard, beautiful blue of life, love & death. This symbolic collection shows you what it means to be human. It reveals the depths of the soul & how sometimes we just want to give up—how our legs can get tired of treading all the dark water. Thankfully, Ashe is beside us through the entire tale, showing us how to love the water instead of fear it— & when the weight of our heads & hearts get to be too much, they offer us a hand & lead us to the boat, they ask us to climb up in it with them, & in the end, the whole of the voyage teaches us how to save ourselves.

[Alicia Low · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story told through poetry, the rare kind that is so beautiful it makes your heart break and ache.

[Laura Aranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible play told in poetry.

[Colleen (Soggywarmpockets) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read. Poignant and beautiful and heartbreaking and hopeful with a good narrative. Would recommend if you like poetry, or even if you don't.