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Poems for the Sound of the Sky Before Thunder
poems for the sound of the sky before thunder is a collection that tiptoes the infinitely blurred lines between hurting, hoping, & healing. It speaks of sleepless nights & softened tongues, telling a story dreaming & bone-bright & out of focus in the rain. These poems are only as much for losing as they are for finding, only as much for despair as they are for the light scattered within it, only as much for leaving as they are for finally coming home.
“Topaz Winters writes of the many different kinds of longing in the tenderest, most stunning ways. She longs for quiet, for girlhood, for the chance to forget and the chance to remember. This collection feels like home for so many that want and bloom in the same way that Topaz does—it’s comforting, in that we have someone describing what we may have never had the words for. poems for the sound of the sky before thunder gives the reader permission to try and find beauty even in the ugliest parts of their life. Chances like that are always opportune.” —Lyd Havens, author of I Gave Birth to All the Ghosts Here
“Topaz Winters writes of the many different kinds of longing in the tenderest, most stunning ways. She longs for quiet, for girlhood, for the chance to forget and the chance to remember. This collection feels like home for so many that want and bloom in the same way that Topaz does—it’s comforting, in that we have someone describing what we may have never had the words for. poems for the sound of the sky before thunder gives the reader permission to try and find beauty even in the ugliest parts of their life. Chances like that are always opportune.” —Lyd Havens, author of I Gave Birth to All the Ghosts Here
64 pages, Paperback
First published November 4, 2017
1 person is currently reading
172 people want to read
About the author
Topaz Winters
16 books206 followersI am a writer, artist, editor, performer, & author of So, Stranger (Button Poetry 2022, winner of the Button Poetry Short Form Contest & a LitBowl Best Poetry Book of 2022) & Portrait of My Body as a Crime I’m Still Committing (Button Poetry 2019 & 2024, finalist in the Broken River & Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prizes). I serve as editor-in-chief of Half Mystic Press, an independent, international, & interdisciplinary publishing project, & as co-editor of Kopi Break, a journal of new Singapore poetry.
My poetry, fiction, & nonfiction have been published by The American Poetry Review, Foglifter, & Passages North, profiled in Vogue, The Straits Times, & The Business Times, & performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Centre for Fiction, & the Singapore Writers Festival. I am the recipient of fellowships from Sundress Publications, the National YoungArts Foundation, & Unearth Writing Retreats. In 2017 I gave the TEDx talk Healing Is a Verb. I’m the writer & star of the 2017 short film SUPERNOVA (recipient of awards from the Newark International, Across Asia Youth, Laurie Nelson, My Rode Reel, Singapore International Student, & CINE Golden Eagle Film Festivals), & from 2015 to 2022 I wrote the annual column Silver-Tipped Swallow for Half Mystic Journal.
I hold a B.A. in English with certificates in Creative Writing, Visual Art, & Italian from Princeton University. I live between New York & Singapore with a white dog named Hachii & a black cat named Volta.
My poetry, fiction, & nonfiction have been published by The American Poetry Review, Foglifter, & Passages North, profiled in Vogue, The Straits Times, & The Business Times, & performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Centre for Fiction, & the Singapore Writers Festival. I am the recipient of fellowships from Sundress Publications, the National YoungArts Foundation, & Unearth Writing Retreats. In 2017 I gave the TEDx talk Healing Is a Verb. I’m the writer & star of the 2017 short film SUPERNOVA (recipient of awards from the Newark International, Across Asia Youth, Laurie Nelson, My Rode Reel, Singapore International Student, & CINE Golden Eagle Film Festivals), & from 2015 to 2022 I wrote the annual column Silver-Tipped Swallow for Half Mystic Journal.
I hold a B.A. in English with certificates in Creative Writing, Visual Art, & Italian from Princeton University. I live between New York & Singapore with a white dog named Hachii & a black cat named Volta.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 32 reviews
February 1, 2019
Thirty beautifully written poems will enthrall those who love to peruse serious topics such as depression. This collection of poems by this 20-year-old Singaporean
Topaz Winters
is unlike the famous poets emerging today and I admit that I had a hard time comprehending them, hence, I have to read this anthology twice to be able to figure out what the poems want to convey.
Although there are poems in this book that talks about important matters such as anxiety and suicide, there are a few that is about women empowerment, moving forward and being courageous. I find a handful of these odes to be quite noteworthy and one of them is Faith:
There are other great ones that readers could relate into; one just needs to open not only her eyes and mind for these poems but also their heart to be able to grasp their message.
Although there are poems in this book that talks about important matters such as anxiety and suicide, there are a few that is about women empowerment, moving forward and being courageous. I find a handful of these odes to be quite noteworthy and one of them is Faith:
Healing comes slow,
little by little, morning by morning, winter by winter.
Here is religion: the impossible knowing that one
of these days I will wake up & I will not be sad.
Every broken morning is worth that faith.
There are other great ones that readers could relate into; one just needs to open not only her eyes and mind for these poems but also their heart to be able to grasp their message.
September 30, 2017
This one was very difficult to write & edit, & the final product is something raw & real & wholly my own. It's not a happy book by any means - but it's as much about healing as it is about hurting. It's as much about softness as it is about savagery. I hope you find some truth in it. Thank you for all your support. xx
November 16, 2017
Delicate yet devastating poems from a young adult. The poetry is mature and meaty, with a certain lightness that belies the dark and heavy themes of mental disturbance mentioned. Some lines can be tightened with stronger editing. Overall, an impressive achievement that separates this teenage collection miles high away from the twenty-something Leavs and Kaurs dominating populist poetry right now.
January 1, 2019
(Note: The author was kind enough to gift me a PDF of their book to review since I was unable to purchase a copy, which I would have done if I was able to. This has not impacted my review in the least.)
I knew that this was going to be a fantastic collection from the very first poem. In the opening piece, “Undrowning”, Topaz Winters captured my attention and stole my breath away at the same time — “In another life the rain brings with it no promise of salt / & the sea no promise of tears / with sadness like saltwater velvet / forgets how to float / how to thunder.”
As an avid reader of poetry, I’ve read many works attempting to capture the essence of girlhood as Winters has done — through love & loss, hurt & healing, the light & dark — but none have done so as masterfully as she has. Topaz is a magician, a weaver of words into spells and songs that will carry you through the dark with whispers of light. She writes honestly, and openly about her mental illnesses, such as in Battlefield (one of my favorite poems of the entire collection):
“After all of this hurt, I am no longer an open wound
but the colour of a bruise in its healing.
After all of this anger, I am learning what it is to breathe with no fear of recrimination. With no underbrush of loathing”
and to do so, while both acknowledging the pain & the triumph of healing, is an incredible thing that I am learning to do as well.
There are so many reasons to love Topaz’s book. They write with such fierce tenderness and aching, and although the universe is large and full of sadness, they share it with you and manage to make it a little brighter. This is an incredible collection by a wonderful person, and I highly recommend it to all, hurting or healing or simply lost in the vast expanse of the world. I promise it’ll bring a light to the dark.
I knew that this was going to be a fantastic collection from the very first poem. In the opening piece, “Undrowning”, Topaz Winters captured my attention and stole my breath away at the same time — “In another life the rain brings with it no promise of salt / & the sea no promise of tears / with sadness like saltwater velvet / forgets how to float / how to thunder.”
As an avid reader of poetry, I’ve read many works attempting to capture the essence of girlhood as Winters has done — through love & loss, hurt & healing, the light & dark — but none have done so as masterfully as she has. Topaz is a magician, a weaver of words into spells and songs that will carry you through the dark with whispers of light. She writes honestly, and openly about her mental illnesses, such as in Battlefield (one of my favorite poems of the entire collection):
“After all of this hurt, I am no longer an open wound
but the colour of a bruise in its healing.
After all of this anger, I am learning what it is to breathe with no fear of recrimination. With no underbrush of loathing”
and to do so, while both acknowledging the pain & the triumph of healing, is an incredible thing that I am learning to do as well.
There are so many reasons to love Topaz’s book. They write with such fierce tenderness and aching, and although the universe is large and full of sadness, they share it with you and manage to make it a little brighter. This is an incredible collection by a wonderful person, and I highly recommend it to all, hurting or healing or simply lost in the vast expanse of the world. I promise it’ll bring a light to the dark.
Read
January 24, 2019Where does one start with a collection as ephemeral as this?
Topaz is a weather system in her own right throughout this book, manifesting in both the lightest of rainfalls and deadliest of storms. Through metaphors that interlock between pieces and grow with both reader and writer, "Poems For The Sound of The Sky Before Thunder" offers a very open-hearted and open-armed view of love, mental illness, personal growth, and belonging. Topaz writes with a wisdom beyond her years, acting as a very necessary bridge between the childlike joy of existence and the reality of settling into one's life. The poems here are honest, and soft -- to read them feels like getting letters from an old friend.
In my favorite poem from the collection, Topaz writes "if you never say my name again, i hope at least you remember what it was to love a space free of all that thunder." PFTSOTFBT is both the thunder, and the space between it. For storm chasers and storm weatherers (is that a word? I don't think so) alike, these poems won't disappoint.
Topaz is a weather system in her own right throughout this book, manifesting in both the lightest of rainfalls and deadliest of storms. Through metaphors that interlock between pieces and grow with both reader and writer, "Poems For The Sound of The Sky Before Thunder" offers a very open-hearted and open-armed view of love, mental illness, personal growth, and belonging. Topaz writes with a wisdom beyond her years, acting as a very necessary bridge between the childlike joy of existence and the reality of settling into one's life. The poems here are honest, and soft -- to read them feels like getting letters from an old friend.
In my favorite poem from the collection, Topaz writes "if you never say my name again, i hope at least you remember what it was to love a space free of all that thunder." PFTSOTFBT is both the thunder, and the space between it. For storm chasers and storm weatherers (is that a word? I don't think so) alike, these poems won't disappoint.
October 30, 2017
A remarkable poetry collection from a very talented young voice; doubly remarkable for the fact that the author is only 18 years old. Her writing is full of confidence and grace, and explores a variety of deep subjects in a sensitive way. I discovered Topaz Winters when she submitted (and sold) a short story to me for the final issue of LONTAR, and I was delighted to hear that Math Paper Press had published her first full-length collection. Definitely a writer to watch, with a full career in front of her.
March 26, 2019
Poems for the sound of the sky before thunder by topaz winters is a searching in the dark for the bright soul of the self. it is wading through the memories of heartbreak and held hands. It is a city light by a train stop flickering in time with your breath. It is reclaiming. it is this body alive, now, and fully yours again.
in my reading of the first few poems, i was astonished yet searching. the poems were dripping off the page like nectar into a hummingbird beak, and I needed the poem to slow me down, to bring me fully into this world of sky and sound and girl aflame. “Coda at an Empty Train Station, 6:27 a.m.” is where the narrative really hit me. This whole book is internal, floating. It is a mind drifting from one thought to the next, almost at the edge of sleep, with blips of reality sparking through and lighting the image of the new girl yet to become. in “Coda at an Empty Train Station, 6:27 a.m.,” in this waiting and wading through thoughts at the train station, this poem becomes the tonal epitome of the chapbook. you are waiting with her. you are wading with her. you are cheering at each moment that the girl realizes herself a power and not a possession.
poems for the sound of the sky before thunder has an extremely vast reach, a possible connection with the non-poetic or non-academic audience, and what a wondrous accomplishment that is. these poems reach every heart broken, every womxn looking to find a place their own. this book could speak to any soul, and every soul should give it the chance to do so.
Read the rest: https://www.karagoughnour.com/blog/ge...
in my reading of the first few poems, i was astonished yet searching. the poems were dripping off the page like nectar into a hummingbird beak, and I needed the poem to slow me down, to bring me fully into this world of sky and sound and girl aflame. “Coda at an Empty Train Station, 6:27 a.m.” is where the narrative really hit me. This whole book is internal, floating. It is a mind drifting from one thought to the next, almost at the edge of sleep, with blips of reality sparking through and lighting the image of the new girl yet to become. in “Coda at an Empty Train Station, 6:27 a.m.,” in this waiting and wading through thoughts at the train station, this poem becomes the tonal epitome of the chapbook. you are waiting with her. you are wading with her. you are cheering at each moment that the girl realizes herself a power and not a possession.
poems for the sound of the sky before thunder has an extremely vast reach, a possible connection with the non-poetic or non-academic audience, and what a wondrous accomplishment that is. these poems reach every heart broken, every womxn looking to find a place their own. this book could speak to any soul, and every soul should give it the chance to do so.
Read the rest: https://www.karagoughnour.com/blog/ge...
June 28, 2020
lucky to receive this book from a friend who understands sadness and pain in a similar way i do.
topaz winters writes in a way only someone who is well-acquainted with sorrow & hurt (and co.) can—whether it is pain we receive or pain we produce (willingly or unwillingly).
it feels so eerily familiar and at the same time, it doesn’t. like reading my own written thoughts and feelings, but through its reflection on a mirror.
what a healing experience it is to read this in the way healing feels like pouring alcohol on an open wound.
topaz winters writes in a way only someone who is well-acquainted with sorrow & hurt (and co.) can—whether it is pain we receive or pain we produce (willingly or unwillingly).
it feels so eerily familiar and at the same time, it doesn’t. like reading my own written thoughts and feelings, but through its reflection on a mirror.
what a healing experience it is to read this in the way healing feels like pouring alcohol on an open wound.
April 29, 2018
Winters clearly has a lot of potential: she is deeply enamoured with the lyrical, which is always a good thing (to me, at least). She tries to explore her own experience with healing and living with herself (especially her body and mental illness), through the hydrological cycle: speaking of the ocean, the sky, the rain, and the clouds; and of course, their constant renewal.
The honesty with which she does so is clear. Her poetry is not completely heavy, nor is it at all light, but it doesn't need to be either. However, the collection doesn't fit together 'tightly' enough, beyond the common theme.
The pieces I enjoyed the most were the ones where Winters strips down all devices and write simply, playing with words: sometimes to great effect, sometimes stumbling. When she lets the sky be 'eve-scarred', or 'dreams [her sadness] to water' is when she is at her strongest. But elsewhere, when photographs are turned 'neatly into the square root of shapeless', they become poem-jamming koans.
If Winters can develop her craft further, there is no doubt she will create something wonderful.
The honesty with which she does so is clear. Her poetry is not completely heavy, nor is it at all light, but it doesn't need to be either. However, the collection doesn't fit together 'tightly' enough, beyond the common theme.
The pieces I enjoyed the most were the ones where Winters strips down all devices and write simply, playing with words: sometimes to great effect, sometimes stumbling. When she lets the sky be 'eve-scarred', or 'dreams [her sadness] to water' is when she is at her strongest. But elsewhere, when photographs are turned 'neatly into the square root of shapeless', they become poem-jamming koans.
If Winters can develop her craft further, there is no doubt she will create something wonderful.
April 3, 2019
I just realised I never published my review so here goes:
I was going to try and choose a favourite poem but it's impossible to rank them; they all make me feel so deeply in their own ways. poems for the sound of the sky before thunder is beautiful, heartfelt, and touches on so many emotions I don't often allow myself to feel. I have no words. This book is a staple on my bookshelf and I often find myself flipping through the pages again and again. Topaz's voice pierces my soul and puts into words thoughts and feelings that I don't know how to convey myself.
I was going to try and choose a favourite poem but it's impossible to rank them; they all make me feel so deeply in their own ways. poems for the sound of the sky before thunder is beautiful, heartfelt, and touches on so many emotions I don't often allow myself to feel. I have no words. This book is a staple on my bookshelf and I often find myself flipping through the pages again and again. Topaz's voice pierces my soul and puts into words thoughts and feelings that I don't know how to convey myself.
February 15, 2018
(Disclaimer: I received this free book from the author. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
There's a quite power to the words, a gentle crescendo of movement. poems for the sound of sky before thunder includes clever play on words and wonderful sentences. I know this review was short and sweet, but there's nothing I can say except: try these words out yourself. I don't think you'll regret it.
There's a quite power to the words, a gentle crescendo of movement. poems for the sound of sky before thunder includes clever play on words and wonderful sentences. I know this review was short and sweet, but there's nothing I can say except: try these words out yourself. I don't think you'll regret it.
May 14, 2018
Everything Winters writes makes me feel like she is a long-lost friend of mine. She frames her experiences in delicate terms that bite when I least expect it. I seem to have found bits of myself living alongside her words, which makes for the best kind of poetry. Still, this collection felt unripe- I am excited to see what her work will look like at her peak when she really sinks into her voice as a poet.
November 18, 2017
Such a beautiful title for such a powerful and moving collection of work. The writing style has you hooked from the first page, and not only makes you feel strongly about the words written, but think strongly too. The raw nature of the poetry just makes you want to read it, and read it again.
June 5, 2021
i am in pain
December 29, 2018
“poems for the sound of the sky before thunder” is a simmering meditation on forgiveness, growth, and identity, though Topaz Winters does not always take the most direct an apparent approach to any of these subjects. There is a familiar softness to these poems yet what’s more exciting is the way this collection feels like an upgrade, a new and intricately designed level that has been built upon the foundation of Winters’ previous collections. I couldn’t bring myself to rush through these poems. Instead, I enjoyed revisiting the same piece a few times, at different times during the same day, often flipping back a few pages to seek out the connections between the piece I was currently reading and one from earlier. The poems in this collection cover a lot of ground as Winters negotiates a relatively focused theme with a trail of numerous openings left in each poem, entry points for the reader to look beyond the soft imagery and whimsical and lyrical wording and consider how these can exist even in the most difficult subjects, like a strained relationship with one’s parents or mental health issues. There is renewed strength and a different, sharper edge to Topaz Winters’ poems that I greatly enjoyed reading and I cannot wait to see what treasures she gives her readers in the future, to navigate the new waters she leads me to both as a friend and as an admirable poetic model who I am lucky enough to know.
January 2, 2025
But listen close. There is music playing in the next apartment
& it sounds so much like becoming again.
Ringing in the new year with poetry and with Topaz Winters <3 I was gifted a copy by Topaz herself a handful of years ago and its message, its voice called to me now. How beautiful and comforting like a thunderstorm.
March 11, 2019
I will be anything
that you want me to be,
except for tragic.
A stunning collection from Topaz Winters, each poem beautifully unique. While its overall focus is mental health, discussions of religion and love are poignant, making this collection a true ode to life and healing. Strength, healing, recovery, heartbreak, joy, love, and more can be felt in the pages of these poems, and it hits you right in the heart.
I was provided with a complimentary copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.
that you want me to be,
except for tragic.
A stunning collection from Topaz Winters, each poem beautifully unique. While its overall focus is mental health, discussions of religion and love are poignant, making this collection a true ode to life and healing. Strength, healing, recovery, heartbreak, joy, love, and more can be felt in the pages of these poems, and it hits you right in the heart.
I was provided with a complimentary copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.
November 6, 2019
(I received a free PDF from the author for an honest review though I'd also bought my own print copy some time ago)
I first came across Topaz Winters through heaven or this, a free self-published poetry chapbook, which was a standout in that particular sub-genre. monsoon dream (Platypus Press) was another free chapbook that stoked my interest. She became a name I looked out for when reading lit journals. Then came poems for the sound of the sky before thunder (Math Paper Press) which was an instant purchase and has been on my towering to-read pile ever since.
For me, the standout poems in this book were on mental health issues, on being/being more than "a sad girl" (having once been one myself), on love and longing, on drowning, on being cruel to your own body. "poem for my girls," "story" and "battlefield" were my favorites, would have been my coda when I was a teenager.
There's so much water in this book, like death and rebirth, life taking and life giving. Standing on the edge of a cliff over the ocean and, in the end, choosing life, choosing healing. This was often put in soft, romantic language that can be very tender but sometimes rises to a defiant scream. I reveled in these moments because I was a defiant teenager though also a very sad one.
"dream of fruit / cut up so perfect, it’s fucking terrifying" was a startling reminder of a fear of perfection. In another poem it is revealed to be the speaker's overcoming OCD, of learning not to be perfect, to not have every line be the same length, to not be that girl afraid to look in the mirror.
"poem for my girls" reminds me of those formative friendships I had as a teenager when "my girls" were talking me through death urges. The speaker chooses life and then asks "doesn’t that astonish you?" which feels so real. I was the girl expected not to live, the one in and out of hospitals, the one who spent six weeks in the hospital after graduation.
Love and longing are major themes, as is faith. "god is—" was a favorite, especially the line "I believe in a God who understands / why people jump from bridges."
Overall, especially in comparison to other teenagers who have been published, this is a powerful poetry collection and one that spoke to the girl I was.
I first came across Topaz Winters through heaven or this, a free self-published poetry chapbook, which was a standout in that particular sub-genre. monsoon dream (Platypus Press) was another free chapbook that stoked my interest. She became a name I looked out for when reading lit journals. Then came poems for the sound of the sky before thunder (Math Paper Press) which was an instant purchase and has been on my towering to-read pile ever since.
For me, the standout poems in this book were on mental health issues, on being/being more than "a sad girl" (having once been one myself), on love and longing, on drowning, on being cruel to your own body. "poem for my girls," "story" and "battlefield" were my favorites, would have been my coda when I was a teenager.
There's so much water in this book, like death and rebirth, life taking and life giving. Standing on the edge of a cliff over the ocean and, in the end, choosing life, choosing healing. This was often put in soft, romantic language that can be very tender but sometimes rises to a defiant scream. I reveled in these moments because I was a defiant teenager though also a very sad one.
"dream of fruit / cut up so perfect, it’s fucking terrifying" was a startling reminder of a fear of perfection. In another poem it is revealed to be the speaker's overcoming OCD, of learning not to be perfect, to not have every line be the same length, to not be that girl afraid to look in the mirror.
"poem for my girls" reminds me of those formative friendships I had as a teenager when "my girls" were talking me through death urges. The speaker chooses life and then asks "doesn’t that astonish you?" which feels so real. I was the girl expected not to live, the one in and out of hospitals, the one who spent six weeks in the hospital after graduation.
Love and longing are major themes, as is faith. "god is—" was a favorite, especially the line "I believe in a God who understands / why people jump from bridges."
Overall, especially in comparison to other teenagers who have been published, this is a powerful poetry collection and one that spoke to the girl I was.
May 2, 2019
Note: I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for a review.
trigger warning: this review has references to mental illness and suicide.
Topaz Winters and I connected years ago through social media, and I've always loved her work. Naturally, I was thrilled when she asked if I would review poems for the sound of the sky before thunder.
At 32 pages, this book can, in theory, be read quickly; however, the poems are so beautiful and dense with feeling that readers will want to take their time with Topaz's words. This collection of poetry tells a cohesive story about mental illness, healing, and everything in between.
Topaz experiments with form while staying true to her style, one that is refreshing and bold and so very, so heart-achingly honest. I started keeping track of my favorite lines before I realized that doing so would result in a list that was almost as long as the book, but here are a few that I couldn't resist sharing:
poems for the sound of the sky before thunder succeeds in what all good art should do: remind us that we are not alone. The book explicitly mentions therapy, OCD, anxiety, and depression, and transforms the stigma of mental illness into something true. The book is quite sad (another reason you might not want to read it all at once), but it does point to hope, and shines a light where so many of us need it the most.
trigger warning: this review has references to mental illness and suicide.
Topaz Winters and I connected years ago through social media, and I've always loved her work. Naturally, I was thrilled when she asked if I would review poems for the sound of the sky before thunder.
At 32 pages, this book can, in theory, be read quickly; however, the poems are so beautiful and dense with feeling that readers will want to take their time with Topaz's words. This collection of poetry tells a cohesive story about mental illness, healing, and everything in between.
Topaz experiments with form while staying true to her style, one that is refreshing and bold and so very, so heart-achingly honest. I started keeping track of my favorite lines before I realized that doing so would result in a list that was almost as long as the book, but here are a few that I couldn't resist sharing:
"there isn’t enough sky for the things i want to tell you"
“Look. Look. Look. Look at the girl who does not want to get out of bed.
Look how she does anyway, just to spite the whole goddamn universe. Just to say I told you so.”
"I am learning to care for all of it,
even on the days when the only constant is the reimagining of broken breaths."
"I believe in God like I believe
in French toast & the inevitability
of loving...I believe in a God who understands why people jump from bridges."
"There is this religion I know of in which every morning I wake up & I am not sad.
My temple no longer propped up by Prozac, but moulded into the shape of a heart that wants to keep beating."
poems for the sound of the sky before thunder succeeds in what all good art should do: remind us that we are not alone. The book explicitly mentions therapy, OCD, anxiety, and depression, and transforms the stigma of mental illness into something true. The book is quite sad (another reason you might not want to read it all at once), but it does point to hope, and shines a light where so many of us need it the most.
January 10, 2019
"& whatever a body is/ i hope hers is never afraid again"
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Topaz Winters is quickly becoming one of my favorite poets, and her newest collection was an absolute joy to read. I loved it's focus on healing. There were so many beautiful lines that spoke to me. Two of my favorite poems from this collection were "After You" and "Battlefield". I think they were some of the strongest poems in the collection and they really touched on topics close to me. Mental illness is almost always best spoken about through poetry and poems for the sound of the sky before thunder weaves through the topic with so much grace.
A few of the poems didn't seem to flow with the overall collection quite as well as they could have, their imagery felt disjointed from the other poems. But I wouldn't say that this detracted from my reading experience by very much.
I 100% recommend this collection to you all, and I am very grateful for this chance to read it. You can find more of Topaz's work on her twitter and website.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Topaz Winters is quickly becoming one of my favorite poets, and her newest collection was an absolute joy to read. I loved it's focus on healing. There were so many beautiful lines that spoke to me. Two of my favorite poems from this collection were "After You" and "Battlefield". I think they were some of the strongest poems in the collection and they really touched on topics close to me. Mental illness is almost always best spoken about through poetry and poems for the sound of the sky before thunder weaves through the topic with so much grace.
A few of the poems didn't seem to flow with the overall collection quite as well as they could have, their imagery felt disjointed from the other poems. But I wouldn't say that this detracted from my reading experience by very much.
I 100% recommend this collection to you all, and I am very grateful for this chance to read it. You can find more of Topaz's work on her twitter and website.
September 9, 2024
I thought it started off slow, perhaps a little uneven, but then I realised that I was perhaps being unnecessarily harsh on the Singaporean poet. This is more telling of my distrust in local literature than the quality of the book itself.
In all honesty, some of the imagery is clunky; as with most contemporary poetry these days, I get confused with the strategy behind line breaks; but this volume is for me, great because Topaz Winters is so open – she bares her heart out for us and I appreciate it deeply.
A few stray observations:
- the use of repeated motifs, hands, thunder, rain, drowning, water in general...reminds me of Waheed in the sense that it creates a specific vocabulary in the universe of the book and carries it through poem after poem
- water especially, to me at least, is at once sadness that we drown from because of its depth, but also a cleansing force, washing away that which is sad. I liked that a lot.
In all honesty, some of the imagery is clunky; as with most contemporary poetry these days, I get confused with the strategy behind line breaks; but this volume is for me, great because Topaz Winters is so open – she bares her heart out for us and I appreciate it deeply.
A few stray observations:
- the use of repeated motifs, hands, thunder, rain, drowning, water in general...reminds me of Waheed in the sense that it creates a specific vocabulary in the universe of the book and carries it through poem after poem
- water especially, to me at least, is at once sadness that we drown from because of its depth, but also a cleansing force, washing away that which is sad. I liked that a lot.
January 28, 2019
I received an eBook copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3.75 stars
Winters’ collection is both the storm and the silver lining. It starts out well and keeps getting stronger with each poem. Immediately, we’re thrown into a sea of darkness with the poem “Undrowned”, struggling to find ways to stay afloat. It sets out the tone of intensity that is to be expected throughout the collection. In Duologies, Winters writes:
“ healing
is the part in the nightmare when you wake up
just before you hit the ground”
(Duologies, p. 22)
I loved these lines because they portray a perfect juxtaposition, the danger of falling is intertwined with the hope of healing. This is what delineates the collection; the interplay of fighting to survive.
Full Review: https://poetrybyjeremy.wordpress.com/...
Rating: 3.75 stars
Winters’ collection is both the storm and the silver lining. It starts out well and keeps getting stronger with each poem. Immediately, we’re thrown into a sea of darkness with the poem “Undrowned”, struggling to find ways to stay afloat. It sets out the tone of intensity that is to be expected throughout the collection. In Duologies, Winters writes:
“ healing
is the part in the nightmare when you wake up
just before you hit the ground”
(Duologies, p. 22)
I loved these lines because they portray a perfect juxtaposition, the danger of falling is intertwined with the hope of healing. This is what delineates the collection; the interplay of fighting to survive.
Full Review: https://poetrybyjeremy.wordpress.com/...
January 28, 2019
Winters does with words what no one else does. Boundless, elegant, somehow sharp and soft at the same time. I like to read poetry that has a kick to it, that leaves me feeling like I’ve been hit in the ribs sometimes. This book does just that. There are a few lines in particular that floored me—the only one I will share, so as not to spoil any of the stunning poems in the book, is “find the girl like apollo 13(no ground control to call back home)”. I for one have no idea how Winters writes these—how they write with such depth and care dedicated to each one. It is, in fact, astounding. Worth a read. Worth several reads. Worth a home on your bookshelf.
February 26, 2021
Such a beautiful book. I’ve enjoyed every single bit of it. Written brilliantly. Thank you.
July 14, 2021
Literally just (re)read this outside before a thunderstorm. Magic.
March 20, 2022
Goodness. That's good.
April 14, 2019
The different poems in this book is all about trying to cope being under stressful or depressed situations as the title significantly specify on weather before the thunder and rain showing or signify that they are feeling down
October 30, 2018
This is shit. The fact that the author herself rated it 5 stars says even more than the “poems” themselves.
December 14, 2019
Story, coda at an empty train station, Rain, Anagapesis, Antidote are my favorites
Displaying 1 - 29 of 32 reviews