In the Pockets of Small Gods

by Anis Mojgani

Anis Mojgani's latest collection of poetry explores what we do with grief, long after the initial sadness has faded from our daily lives: how we learn to carry it without holding it, how our joy and our pain touch, and at times need one another. In the Pockets of Small Gods touches on many kinds of sorrow, from the suicide of a best friend to a broken marriage to the current political climate.

Mojgani swings between the surreal imagery and direct vulnerability he is known for, all while giving the poems a direct frankness, softening whatever the weight may be. A book of leaves and petals as opposed to a book of stones, In the Pockets of Small Gods encapsulates the human experience in a way that is both deeply personal and astoundingly universal.

Genres: Poetry, Iran

100 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2018

About the author

ANIS MOJGANI is a two time National Poetry Slam Champion, winner of the International World Cup Poetry Slam, and multiple-time TEDx Speaker. He has been awarded residencies from the Vermont Studio Center, AIR Serenbe, and the Oregon Literary Arts Writers-In-The-Schools program. His work has appeared on HBO, NPR, and in the pages of such journals as Rattle, Forklift Ohio, Paper Darts, and Thrush.
Anis is the author of five books, all published by Write Bloody Publishing: The Pocketknife Bible (2015). Songs From Under the River (2013), The Feather Room (2011), Over the Anvil We Stretch (2008), and his latest, In the Pockets of Small Gods (2018). Originally from New Orleans, he currently lives in Oregon.

Reviews

[Julieta · Rating 5 out of 5]

first read of 2022 and i've already peaked.....i don't even want to pick up another book. this was IT.

[Angie Reisetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful collection of poems and a bit of poetic prose (I'm not sure what the delineation is between them). Some of it is soaring and universal, and some tells the concrete story, or bits and pieces of it, of the events in Mojgani's life that he's mourning: the suicide of a dear friend a decade before and the much more recent and raw end of his marriage. Little bits of the stories come out in the poetry, here and there, sometimes repeated because they're important and true. Similarly, little bits of his poetic themes come out, repeated here and there, repeated because they're important and true. The titular small gods are the Greek gods, and the sections of the collection are named after figures in mythology, some of whom endure suffering, often repeatedly (Sisyphus, Promethius). There is also an earthiness to his imagery: rocks, stones, boulders, soil, sticks, trees, some small, some large and unlovable. The over arching image of the collection is that he sometimes picks up small stones, writes something his did that day on them, no matter how trivial, and then carries them around in his pockets. That very act makes for an interesting poet and beautiful poetry.

It's hard to describe how much I loved this collection, but I thought I might at least make a record of my experience of it to remind myself of the gist. The language is powerful, and sad, yes, but not overwhelmingly so. It is the voice of man who is suffering but has chosen to live and move and breathe. But yes, it does have the numbers for a couple suicide hotlines in the back and a reminder that sorrow is normal and should be shared, not hidden away in shame.

[Taylor Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I nearly cried—several times. Absolutely his best work yet.

“In the garden I waited for spring
Always I waited for spring
And for my love
to appear like it

returning

out of the cold
and with flowers upon its fingertips”

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

"when you buried yourself under the water, you stole all my love with you. what a beautiful robbery. a beautiful heartbreak of robbery, taking my heart with you. i have been trying to grow it back over the years. fall keeps coming."

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

good for: breakups, mourning, grief, winter, that feeling when you finish a puzzle and the thing you used the puzzle to distract yourself from comes welling back up in your chest

[Robert Myrland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like his spoken word stuff and I recognized some in here. Poetry is a bit new to me overall so I do struggle understanding deeper meanings behind metaphors and the structuring of sentences, if those exist in poetry?, makes me a slow poetry reader. I was sad the entire time... I would like to read more poetry. I love Anis, I really feel his painnnn ughhhh.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Pockets of Small Gods is about grief and sorrow and how to carry it and keep it from taking over our spaces and moments of joy. Anis Mojgani writes honestly -- about himself, about emotions and situations, about life.
I was in tears as I read the last few poems in the book, their messages all clear: spring will come, there is space to love and be loved, to feel joy and newness and life again.

[Blatantly Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally review poetry collections because I think poetry can be so personal to everyone that reads it and it might resonate in completely different ways for me than it does for you but I have been trying to get back into reading more poetry collections so I shall give this a shot!

In The Pocket of Small Gods has a few overarching themes of loss, coming to terms with longing, of losing a friend, a lover and the way one tries to find closure or make sense of loss. There were times when I had so many favourite lines within the same page- some really brilliantly composed sentences and there were others where I couldn't make sense of any of it. That is okay with me because poetry isn't always going to make sense to you, maybe when you look back some time later, it will make more sense than it does now.

I enjoyed reading it very much and took my sweet time with it. A collection I will definitely be re-reading!

"I had no idea how much frost had come
it was only after I started to thaw
from a winter different from the one you left me in
that I begin to see
how much water I am made of"

[Sanjana Argula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Memorable poetry with some killer lines. I found it meandering a bit towards the end. I also felt like there was no singular concept, so it was a bit jarring to have the poems flit across different topics.

"She always kept a pitcher of cold water beside the bed, to pour over her brow when she woke, to make sure nothing of what she had loved in her sleep lingered long enough to remember when stepping out of bed."

" There is an ocean of sorrow in all of us. I have tried to learn how to spend my days not swimming in it. To stand on its shore. To only tip my toes in its water once in awhile."

" Do not let them tell you what in you you should grow and what in you you should kill"

" Rocks pushed out of the dirt to make a space. Like all good poets."

[Madelyn Fagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lyrical blend of magical realism and real, heart-in-your-stomach grief. This book uses Greek mythology as a lens to examine the themes of friendship, longing, depression, and loss. It has a dream-like quality and resonates with anyone who has ever lost a loved one to death or to growing apart. " how / could you not hear / the size of the planet I whispered into your heart / I was so much louder then"

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anis has such a strong voice in his poetry. I could literally hear him in my head reading so many of the lines which were clearly penned with so much intention. His ability to portray grief and depression in such a tangible, yet poetic, way through his writing left me in awe. This books is packed with so much potent imagery and is both sad and beautiful at the same time, much how life tends to be, I suppose. I definitely recommend reading Anis Mojani’s poems. He’s incredible.

[Tony House · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anis is probably one of my favorite poets after this book (I know big statement lol). His way of writing and telling stories through poetry is so uniquely beautiful that I wish I could write like him. The topics of suicide, lost love, depression, healing etc were so beautifully brought out and explored that I can’t say I didn’t feel seen in this book. Thank God for Anis and this book lol I’ll definitely keep this one close to my heart.

[alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never cried reading a collection of poetry until this book. Anis Mojgani touches on grief, loss, longing, rumination, and all those questions and thoughts we keep bottled up after we lose someone. The writing is so beautiful and he has a way of saying things that often made me stop and think and reread and stop and think again.

[Mitch Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Anis is transitioning very well (whether he intend to or not, IDK I don’t actually know the dude, I just saw him at the Powell’s on Hawthorne cafe and about forgot how to breathe) into a written word poet as opposed to a spoken word poet. These poems read better in your hand than any of his previous work, really reminding me of Sharon Olds at certain points.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brillant. It's wild how even if you can't understand a specific shade of grief, the general color is enough to cause instant chest-tightening.

"I am allowed to lease the studio apartment between the bang and the flash. I could sleep on the couch for years without getting up

to anwser the fires outside. I do not know sometimes how to be the kindness I know my cursive spirit to be written in."

[Kilosho Mike Kamwana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant Poems

I really enjoyed reading the poems in this book. I've been a long time fan of Anis Mojgani since I came across his spoken word poetry videos on YouTube, soI decided to read more of his poems. I truly enjoyed the brilliant poems in this book. Very easy to read yet very deep poems.

[Ariel Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book this year. Filled with stories so strong & memorable, I feel like I’ve learned something. Heartbreaking & uncomfortable content as vulnerable as a journal. Unbelievable in the best way.

[a · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Once, the graves were made and marked with rough stones to keep the dead from rising. But I do not know what you are sleeping under. So I pick up any stone that calls. Just in case it is your voice calling from underneath, to release you.”

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a lot of trouble with the rhythm of these poems, which was frustrating because the imagery is beautiful. At least half the time I couldn't maintain significant focus. I'll assume it was a problem on my part, but it made enjoying the book hard.

[Rachel Fenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really thought the language in this book was unique and impeccable. The author played around with repetition a lot. The repressed Christian teenager in me cowered at the many mentions of sex in the book. Overall, a strong collection of poems.

[Ramiro Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very touching read. Grief, reminiscent, and lovingly woeful, Anis has opened up in this book.
Beautifully written.

[Maya Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mojgani's symbolism and intricate language around grief in its many forms is a testimony. A testimony to living life despite the people we've lost, however loss encompasses itself.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love reading local Portland work.

[Jolyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meandering, joyful reclamation of the ego

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldnt stop crying lol.

[Jabiz Raisdana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little darker and less accessible than Songs from Under the River, but there is something I love about Mojgani's voice. I hope to keep exploring his work. This collection does not disappoint.

[Aaron Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful.

[atiqah · Rating 3 out of 5]

”It is possible to be wild and kind at the same time. It is possible to be both alone and be loved. I have known this to be true. In others. In me. To be loved. And to also still be alone.”

[Nathan Wurschmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely beautiful meditation on grief and loss. My favorite of Anis’s collections I’ve read.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so enjoyed this lovely collection recommended to me by a friend (thanks, Alyssa!). Mojgani explores oceans of grief while remaining optimistic, which is not an easy balance to strike. There were so many delightful lines that made me smile on the subway, or that I pocketed behind my eyes just before sleep. This is one that I would revisit after a loss, because I think it would take on more emotional meaning for me.