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224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 22, 2018
I talk about mental illness, self-harm, suicide, recovery, sexual assault, abusive relationships, violence, and other issues that may not be the easiest to swallow.Caroline Kaufman is probably better known (so far) by her Instagram profile @poeticpoison. Published while still a teenager, this book is a mixture of dark and light, heartache and hope. Poetry can be very hit and miss for me and I found that to be the case with this collection as well. I connected with some of her words so deeply that I could have written them myself when I was Caroline’s age.
I’ve spent so much timeOthers I struggled with but that’s probably more indicative of my stony cold heart than Caroline’s writing ability. When I read about relationships and heartache it’s akin to a vampire feeling the warmth of sunlight on their skin.
trying to become who I should be
that I lost myself along the way.
sometimes I imagine my younger selfOnce upon a nitpick: One of my pet peeves is sentences that don’t begin with a capital letter. It bugs me whenever I see it and for some reason that baffles me it seems to be a cool thing to do these days. Some poems in this book include my beloved capital letters; others don’t.
and I worry she wouldn’t recognize me.
the most powerful word
in the english language is
no.
it is refusal
and control
and aggression
and authority.
do you still love me?
no.
are you comfortable with this?
no.
do you want to live like this forever?
no.
I used to be scared
of saying no
being selfish
making my own decisions.
but there is strength in refusal.
there is revolution in authority.
there is freedom in control.
so,
savor your strength.
revel in your revolution.
follow your freedom.
say
no.