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Devoured: poetry for shattered hearts
I'll nevershakethe shame of keeping youall to myself DEVOURED is an exploration of the pleasure and the pain that can only come from love. I wrote this book of poems for all the souls who wander with shattered hearts.A.X. Salvo is the author of the popular The Teeth Of The World Are Sharp. His writings and art have appeared in USA Today, MISC, Studio Visit Magazine, Bete Noir, The Adroit Journal, and The Anthologist. Salvo is also the recipient of a Vermont Studio Center grant for Poetry.
- GenresPoetry
146 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 2, 2017
23 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
A.X. Salvo
16 books22 followersA.X. Salvo's writings and art have appeared in USA Today, MISC, Studio Visit Magazine, Bete Noir, The Adroit Journal, and The Anthologist. Salvo is also the recipient of a Vermont Studio Center grant for Poetry.
Read what people have said about Salvo's collection of dark love poetry, The Muse of Love and Pain:
"Visually intoxicating, the imagery is vivid and tastefully off-kilter."
"The poet writes about passion so vividly that you feel his pain with every word. I highly recommend this collection!"
"Touching...I love how each poem reveals different emotions and journeys that I found myself forgetting where I was at that moment."
"The characters are dark, yet devoted; destructive, yet alive and passionate."
"In 'The Muse of Love and Pain', we are swept away into a dark, intimate journey of the search for the meaning and redemption in the very thing that haunts, torments and, for those willing to surrender entirely to it, consumes us all."
"A leap into the complex subconscious depths of our being..."
Love isn't just about euphoria; it can be angry, mad, destructive - even tragic. It involves every dimension of our being in infinite ways and degrees. We are attached to love because love is attached to everything. Blurring the lines of poetry and fiction, this blend of gothic verse and fable is an ode to anyone who has traveled through the darkest roads and deepest waters to find love.
This debut introduces readers to A.X. Salvo's strange collection of the most delicious elements of fantasy, horror and romance. We follow a familiar thread of near unrequited love. But this particular love is about an extraordinary being. In "The Intangible" she is a mourning mother, in "Harlequin" a lost lover, she is then reborn as a goddess with astounding power in the epic poem "The Muse of Love and Pain".
Salvo's influences range from the classical poets Milton, Poe, Keats, and Dickinson to contemporary writers Plath, Bukowski, Gaiman, and Anne Rice. He finds inspiration in surrealism and the works of artists such as Dali and Man Ray as well as graphic novelists James O' Barr (creator of "The Crow") and David Mack (creator of the "Kabuki" series).
Read what people have said about Salvo's collection of dark love poetry, The Muse of Love and Pain:
"Visually intoxicating, the imagery is vivid and tastefully off-kilter."
"The poet writes about passion so vividly that you feel his pain with every word. I highly recommend this collection!"
"Touching...I love how each poem reveals different emotions and journeys that I found myself forgetting where I was at that moment."
"The characters are dark, yet devoted; destructive, yet alive and passionate."
"In 'The Muse of Love and Pain', we are swept away into a dark, intimate journey of the search for the meaning and redemption in the very thing that haunts, torments and, for those willing to surrender entirely to it, consumes us all."
"A leap into the complex subconscious depths of our being..."
Love isn't just about euphoria; it can be angry, mad, destructive - even tragic. It involves every dimension of our being in infinite ways and degrees. We are attached to love because love is attached to everything. Blurring the lines of poetry and fiction, this blend of gothic verse and fable is an ode to anyone who has traveled through the darkest roads and deepest waters to find love.
This debut introduces readers to A.X. Salvo's strange collection of the most delicious elements of fantasy, horror and romance. We follow a familiar thread of near unrequited love. But this particular love is about an extraordinary being. In "The Intangible" she is a mourning mother, in "Harlequin" a lost lover, she is then reborn as a goddess with astounding power in the epic poem "The Muse of Love and Pain".
Salvo's influences range from the classical poets Milton, Poe, Keats, and Dickinson to contemporary writers Plath, Bukowski, Gaiman, and Anne Rice. He finds inspiration in surrealism and the works of artists such as Dali and Man Ray as well as graphic novelists James O' Barr (creator of "The Crow") and David Mack (creator of the "Kabuki" series).
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 26, 2020
this sucked and is very misogynistic. portrayed women very sexually. :(
August 16, 2020
Very well put! Explores the role of being lonely but yet not wanting to replace their list love!
I chose this rating because I could relate to the author and how he is feeling. Losing a love but not wanting to let go
I chose this rating because I could relate to the author and how he is feeling. Losing a love but not wanting to let go
November 12, 2017
Devoured is an apt title. It’s raw, for sure. Some people are forced to confront raw prose, which is what makes it so powerful. Others, however, are inclined to flee it. I am definitely in the latter group but I do enjoy the power of literary imagery and this collection of poems is full of it. It is an imagery of extremes but it is in texture that much of the most powerful art resides.
This is a book of love but it is a love that can be both idolatrous and self-loathing. If you get that, this author will strike you as very authentic, and, I suspect, he is. He is irreverent and irreverence can be powerfully stimulating and at times just irreverent. This collection is a bit of both.
While the edges are a bit sharp for my personal taste, there is a softer truth here as well. “Snow snuck into our lives/winter hid all the places/we found ourselves…Tongues were held/gradually/more than hands.” Words shaped by talent, for sure. Simple, provocative, and filled with a mixture of grit and longing we have all known.
There is a recurring theme to the author’s work and his self-reflection. “I’m always either ablaze with passion or frigid as a corpse. But once that fire is lit, I keep chasing it madly until it goes out completely. Until everything goes dark and cold again. It’s my nature. And it always will be.”
I’m not so sure. My sense, and it is entirely my own, is that this artist will find a more muted but even deeper insight as time goes on. He clearly has the tools to express it. I will be anxious to see what life brings his way. I certainly hope he continues to share his journey.
I do feel compelled to note my general displeasure in having to give works of artistry a singe 1-5 star rating. This book, I suspect, will have an abundance of both one and five star ratings, as this is an author who takes no prisoners. Take my rating in that context. It’s a quick read, and worth your time, but you may find you can’t put it down quick enough. It’s personal. What more can we ask of our authors?
I read this book as a member of the Kindle Unlimited program. I did not get an advance copy and had never heard of the author before reading this work.
This is a book of love but it is a love that can be both idolatrous and self-loathing. If you get that, this author will strike you as very authentic, and, I suspect, he is. He is irreverent and irreverence can be powerfully stimulating and at times just irreverent. This collection is a bit of both.
While the edges are a bit sharp for my personal taste, there is a softer truth here as well. “Snow snuck into our lives/winter hid all the places/we found ourselves…Tongues were held/gradually/more than hands.” Words shaped by talent, for sure. Simple, provocative, and filled with a mixture of grit and longing we have all known.
There is a recurring theme to the author’s work and his self-reflection. “I’m always either ablaze with passion or frigid as a corpse. But once that fire is lit, I keep chasing it madly until it goes out completely. Until everything goes dark and cold again. It’s my nature. And it always will be.”
I’m not so sure. My sense, and it is entirely my own, is that this artist will find a more muted but even deeper insight as time goes on. He clearly has the tools to express it. I will be anxious to see what life brings his way. I certainly hope he continues to share his journey.
I do feel compelled to note my general displeasure in having to give works of artistry a singe 1-5 star rating. This book, I suspect, will have an abundance of both one and five star ratings, as this is an author who takes no prisoners. Take my rating in that context. It’s a quick read, and worth your time, but you may find you can’t put it down quick enough. It’s personal. What more can we ask of our authors?
I read this book as a member of the Kindle Unlimited program. I did not get an advance copy and had never heard of the author before reading this work.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews