Just Let Me Have This

by Heather Sweeney

'a wafer of time I should tell you

my sister is Lana Del Rey my sister

is Audrey Hepburn who generously

haunts us into ripening relation

a sequence of sounds collecting

between us where no words fit'

Just Let Me Have This by Heather Sweeney, 2018 (p.12).


Heather Sweeney's first poetry collection focuses on the textural, minute details of the self and memory. With a sharp awareness of today's culture and the past, this collection flickers in and out of clarity and dream, of the surreal and the painfully true.

Cover art and design by Kerry-Anne Mayes
Twitter: @kerryaartwork

Typeset and formatting by Haley Jenkins

www.selcouthstation.com
Twitter: @SelcouthStation
Facebook: @selcouthstation
Instagram: selcouthstation

Genres: Poetry

25 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2018

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief taste of what Heather Sweeney can do, only a few poems in this collection and they all work well together. The first in the collection is called "Just let me have this, a memoir" essentially it is just a list but within a few lines you are introduced to Heather's sense of humour, just as it all takes a turn towards being dark. The poem seemed to transport me to a motel room, one of those fans slowly turning on the ceiling, sunlight trying to break through the closed blinds as Heather's thoughts are wondering through her past.

There are some great lines too, here are 3 of the best;

"A rosary for decoration. The last shape on earth"

"to outlive the memes of tomorrow
the vanity of this national illness"

"palm trees made of glitter vs fake tits on acid"

My favourite poem is "The memes of tomorrow", it gives the feeling that this disease of out of control memes could be the end of everything.

A vivid collection of poems by a very talented artist, I'll be keeping an eye on future releases.

Blog post is here> https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2018...

[Rebecca Gransden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fragmented Americanisms choked from a displaced blue.

[Isabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Maybe all I need is a hot
Tub and and an endless cigarette
To outlive the memes of tomorrow
The vanity of this national illness.'

The above poem 'The memes of tomorrow' was my favourite poem of this collection. Sweeney's writing is splintered and disjointed - meaning has to be pieced together. It's a very different style of poetry than I usually read and I really enjoy discovering new poets and unique voices. I think I would have enjoyed this collection more if I could identify a thread of meaning throughout the chapbook which joined all the poems together thematically. Perhaps this would have emerged if the collection was slightly bigger.
The imagery in this chapbook is rich and sometimes surprising: 'cancer on your cheekbone/a cradle of pacific rust'. I would be interested to read more of Sweeney's work!
I love the aesthetic of this chapbook - it feels glossy and made with care. Great front cover designs.

[P.J. Benney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no idea what the author's intentions were with this book. And I can strongly say that I had no response to it either. There was absolutely nothing bad about it and I'm sure poetry lovers will devour it. It was dreamlike and abstract and well worth buying, like all of the output from Selcouth Station, and I'm sure from Sweeney as well!

[Courtney LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stream of consciousness chapbook of poems that was at turns interesting, unique, and disjointed.

from Just Let Me Have This, A Memoir:

7. I love my dog way more than you.
.
23. I am a terrible wife but not because of what you might think.
24. This bird in ruins.
25. This year of ashes.

from VS: "a séance for a past life lover vs. the sacrifice of your least favorite animal"

[Ainsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

this collection of poems has stuck with me for a while after reading them. The honesty is both beautiful and haunting, candid with a silver lining of humor. I look forward to reading future work by Heather Sweeney