What do you think?
Rate this book
Space Struck
Consider this glowing debut from Paige Lewis a menagerie of near-extinction. Space Struck explores the wonders and cruelties occurring within the realms of nature, science, and religion, with the acuity of a sage, the deftness of a hunter, and a hilarious sensibility for the absurd. The universe is seen as an endless arrow “. . . and it asks only one question: How dare you?”
The poems are physically and psychologically tied to the animal world, replete with ivory-billed woodpeckers, pelicans, and constellations-as-organisms. They are also devastatingly human, well anchored in emotion and self-awareness, like art framed in a glass that also holds one’s reflection. Silky and gruesome, the poems of Space Struck pulse like starlight.
The poems are physically and psychologically tied to the animal world, replete with ivory-billed woodpeckers, pelicans, and constellations-as-organisms. They are also devastatingly human, well anchored in emotion and self-awareness, like art framed in a glass that also holds one’s reflection. Silky and gruesome, the poems of Space Struck pulse like starlight.
72 pages, Paperback
First published October 8, 2019
94 people are currently reading
8448 people want to read
About the author
Paige Lewis
11 books177 followersPaige Lewis is the author of Space Struck (Sarabande Books, 2019). Their poems have appeared in Poetry, American Poetry Review, Ploughshares, Best New Poets 2017, and elsewhere. Paige is the curator of Ours Poetica. They currently live and teach in Indiana.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 452 reviews
![Profile Image for s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1735525095i%2F6431467._UX200_CR0%2C11%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
April 11, 2025
‘I have spent years living with ghosts / strung beneath my teeth,’ writes poet Paige Lewis and if it be phantoms amongst the prose then this is one haunted house of a book you’ll actually want to reside within. Crafting a cosmos of emotions, Paige Lewis’ debut poetry collection Space Struck skyrockets into surreal experience and cosmic imagery (‘the moon smells like spent gunpowder’) to better comprehend the marvels of the mundane and one's own internal map of being. Like an Apollo mission orbiting the heart instead of the moon, Lewis gazes down at the peculiarities of human connections and the waves of feelings rocking our inner oceans of emotions. Lewis creates an extraordinary blend of disparate elements that perfectly amalgamate, juxtaposing intimacy and vulnerability with violence and delivered with a sharp humor full of self-deprecation and bizarre circumstances that blissfully balances out all bleakness and introspective pain and manages to make melancholy seem miraculous. Space Struck, which takes its title from a poem about Ann Hodges, the first person confirmed to have been struck by a meteorite, hits you just like that—a blast from above that seems impossible yet leaves a mark that you’ll always remember. It’s weird, it’s wonderful, and it’s deeply human.
Space Struck
(Ann Hodges—The first and only confirmed meteorite victim)
I remember the doctor lifting my nightgown
to see how high the bruise climbed. He seemed
disappointed, A thinner woman would’ve died. I was
small when I was young. Didn’t take up much space.
In fact, I could fit all of me in a suitcase until I
was sixteen, and maybe I was dreaming of this
when the stone hit and I woke to light streaming
through the ceiling. I thought it was God
since I’d been told it’s painful to bear witness.
At any rate, it was a blessing to my husband,
who pretends the bruise is still there. At night,
he lifts my nightgown and kneads my thigh.
He says, How deep, like he’s reaching into a galaxy.
He says, How full, and looks up to see if I wince.
I love the moment in this poem where it is wondered if the meteorite was a blow from god, because let's be honest, if I got hit by a meteorite I’d also think “huh, this seems like a big hint from the cosmos.” But that is exactly what Lewis is doing in this collection: hitting you out of nowhere from the unexpected and making the point stick. This is a collection where transformation feels central to each theme and the poems wind through a series of continual change, such as ‘the place where / people take and the taking becomes / its own person.’ Things aren’t what they seem and even names can’t be trusted signifiers—’the king cobra isn’t a cobra, the electric eel isn’t an eel’—which makes for an excellent vantage point into the trans experience and the ebb and flow of the self across life. ‘Every time I sit down to write, I’m a slightly new person,’ Lewis said in an interview for Grinnell College, ‘or maybe possibly radically new depending on the day.’ Lewis’ poems have a shapeshifter quality to them that is really thrilling and dynamic and Lewis has shown such early promise as a poet as well as a productive member of the poetry community such as working on poetry social media and anthologies along with their husband and fellow writer Kaveh Akbar.
‘When my new lover tells me I’m correct to love him, I
Realize the sound isn’t metal at all. It’s not the coins rattling
On concrete, but the fingertips scraping to pick them up.’
There is an excellent sense of humor here, a heavy dose of sorrow, and many of the works come through a theological lens that feels simultaneously ironic and sincere. This is especially true of poems such as St. Francis Disrobes where the ghost of the saint arrives in a small apartment where the speaker ‘wanted to see my prayers tangled / in his chest hairs’ and the unorthodox and unexpected nature of the poem gives way to deep emotional resonance and abstract understanding. ‘I am interested in how repetition can normalize something strange or extraordinary over time,’ Lewis admits in an interview with The Rumpus, and the frequent use of surreal or the unconventional allows us to feel right at home with it and better analyze our own sorrows or pains from the perspective of the otherworldly. Miracles also come through these poems as a method towards understanding. ‘I’m learning that a miracle isn’t a miracle / without sacrifice’ they write in I’ve Been Trying to Feel Bad for Everyone, or in a poem about watching a pelican devour a seagull, ‘I learned / that a miracle is anything that God forgot / to forbid. The strange is all around us, and Lewis asks us to embrace it.
God’s Secretary, Overworked
Get real, darling. If He answered all prayers
you'd be dead five times over. And I don't
mean the men you left just wished you were
gone, I mean they scraped holes in your photos
and kneeled in front of votive candles, begging
for you to sleep between the tracks and train.
One even asked for you to appear in his bed
still wet from the lake. And while I'm not one to name
names, you should be grateful that God
doesn't work like that. Listen, I've got children
in car wrecks and old folks in hospice to call on,
but take my advice and stop asking for men's
forgiveness. It's a dangerous demonstration.
If you offer a sorry mouth, they'll break it.
Paige Lewis writes that ‘We holy our own fragments when we can,’ and these poems make holy the mundanities of life, transform moments of isolation into a space for universal understanding, and, by blending the cosmos with the earthly, make us feel both small in the face of the universe but giant in our small role in something so grand. ‘"I forget what would happen to your body / in a black hole. I don’t forget your body. This would be unforgivable,’ they write, a perfect example of the humor and tenderness that reside in these poems. ‘I have spent years living with ghosts / strung beneath my teeth,’ Lewis writes and we should all enjoy allowing these ghosts to haunt us in our hearts.
4.5/5
All Constellations are Organisms
and all organisms are divine
and unfixed and I am spending
my night in the kitchen. There
is blood in the batter—dark
strands stretch like vocal
chords telling me I am missing
so much with these blurred
visions: a syringe flick, the tremor
of my wrist—raised veins silked
green. I have seen the wings
of a cutthroat finch wavering
around its body, stuck, burned
to the grill of my car, which means
I have failed to notice its flight—
a lesson on infinities, a lesson I
am trying to learn. I am trying.
Tell me, how do I steady my gaze
when everything I want is motion?
Space Struck
(Ann Hodges—The first and only confirmed meteorite victim)
I remember the doctor lifting my nightgown
to see how high the bruise climbed. He seemed
disappointed, A thinner woman would’ve died. I was
small when I was young. Didn’t take up much space.
In fact, I could fit all of me in a suitcase until I
was sixteen, and maybe I was dreaming of this
when the stone hit and I woke to light streaming
through the ceiling. I thought it was God
since I’d been told it’s painful to bear witness.
At any rate, it was a blessing to my husband,
who pretends the bruise is still there. At night,
he lifts my nightgown and kneads my thigh.
He says, How deep, like he’s reaching into a galaxy.
He says, How full, and looks up to see if I wince.
I love the moment in this poem where it is wondered if the meteorite was a blow from god, because let's be honest, if I got hit by a meteorite I’d also think “huh, this seems like a big hint from the cosmos.” But that is exactly what Lewis is doing in this collection: hitting you out of nowhere from the unexpected and making the point stick. This is a collection where transformation feels central to each theme and the poems wind through a series of continual change, such as ‘the place where / people take and the taking becomes / its own person.’ Things aren’t what they seem and even names can’t be trusted signifiers—’the king cobra isn’t a cobra, the electric eel isn’t an eel’—which makes for an excellent vantage point into the trans experience and the ebb and flow of the self across life. ‘Every time I sit down to write, I’m a slightly new person,’ Lewis said in an interview for Grinnell College, ‘or maybe possibly radically new depending on the day.’ Lewis’ poems have a shapeshifter quality to them that is really thrilling and dynamic and Lewis has shown such early promise as a poet as well as a productive member of the poetry community such as working on poetry social media and anthologies along with their husband and fellow writer Kaveh Akbar.
‘When my new lover tells me I’m correct to love him, I
Realize the sound isn’t metal at all. It’s not the coins rattling
On concrete, but the fingertips scraping to pick them up.’
There is an excellent sense of humor here, a heavy dose of sorrow, and many of the works come through a theological lens that feels simultaneously ironic and sincere. This is especially true of poems such as St. Francis Disrobes where the ghost of the saint arrives in a small apartment where the speaker ‘wanted to see my prayers tangled / in his chest hairs’ and the unorthodox and unexpected nature of the poem gives way to deep emotional resonance and abstract understanding. ‘I am interested in how repetition can normalize something strange or extraordinary over time,’ Lewis admits in an interview with The Rumpus, and the frequent use of surreal or the unconventional allows us to feel right at home with it and better analyze our own sorrows or pains from the perspective of the otherworldly. Miracles also come through these poems as a method towards understanding. ‘I’m learning that a miracle isn’t a miracle / without sacrifice’ they write in I’ve Been Trying to Feel Bad for Everyone, or in a poem about watching a pelican devour a seagull, ‘I learned / that a miracle is anything that God forgot / to forbid. The strange is all around us, and Lewis asks us to embrace it.
God’s Secretary, Overworked
Get real, darling. If He answered all prayers
you'd be dead five times over. And I don't
mean the men you left just wished you were
gone, I mean they scraped holes in your photos
and kneeled in front of votive candles, begging
for you to sleep between the tracks and train.
One even asked for you to appear in his bed
still wet from the lake. And while I'm not one to name
names, you should be grateful that God
doesn't work like that. Listen, I've got children
in car wrecks and old folks in hospice to call on,
but take my advice and stop asking for men's
forgiveness. It's a dangerous demonstration.
If you offer a sorry mouth, they'll break it.
Paige Lewis writes that ‘We holy our own fragments when we can,’ and these poems make holy the mundanities of life, transform moments of isolation into a space for universal understanding, and, by blending the cosmos with the earthly, make us feel both small in the face of the universe but giant in our small role in something so grand. ‘"I forget what would happen to your body / in a black hole. I don’t forget your body. This would be unforgivable,’ they write, a perfect example of the humor and tenderness that reside in these poems. ‘I have spent years living with ghosts / strung beneath my teeth,’ Lewis writes and we should all enjoy allowing these ghosts to haunt us in our hearts.
4.5/5
All Constellations are Organisms
and all organisms are divine
and unfixed and I am spending
my night in the kitchen. There
is blood in the batter—dark
strands stretch like vocal
chords telling me I am missing
so much with these blurred
visions: a syringe flick, the tremor
of my wrist—raised veins silked
green. I have seen the wings
of a cutthroat finch wavering
around its body, stuck, burned
to the grill of my car, which means
I have failed to notice its flight—
a lesson on infinities, a lesson I
am trying to learn. I am trying.
Tell me, how do I steady my gaze
when everything I want is motion?
Read
May 24, 2021I actually don't have much to say about this book. I read it in one sitting and really enjoyed the ability to sink into the world of words that Lewis built.
There were some lines that especially stood out to me. "I feel as if I'm on the moon listening to the air hiss out of my spacesuit, and I can't find the hole. I'm the vice president of panic, and the president is missing" was a favorite. "We are only remembered as cruel when what we harm does not die quickly," was also a line I liked.
I loved Golden Record and So You Want To Leave Purgatory. There's something about all of the poems in this collection, they feel very strange yet somehow, it all makes sense. It's a very cohesive piece of work. Lewis has a style that remains consistent and holds all of this work together.
It's hard to write reviews for poetry. I think it's a good collection and that it could speak to people. I'm not sure how much of this book will remain with me but I'm glad I read this book at the time that I did.
ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN SEMINAR ADVENTURES
- We are all so fucking beautiful. With our identities, our traumas, our split narratives, our fear of the future. A conflict of refugees and indigenous people where everyone is both, we are equally David and Goliath. We are struggling within ourselves just as much as we struggle with each other. It's amazing that the death toll of this conflict is so small.
-"This is not an anthropological expedition, we're cleaning a bathroom" is potentially one of the best things someone ever told me.
-We stayed up until 5am arguing about social responsibility and decision making. As an Israeli, am I obligated to solve this conflict or do I choose to?
-BDS would have been against this seminar. This is something a Palestinian told me and he's right. He's right and BDS are so so wrong. This brilliant seminar, where Israelis and Palestinians spoke to each other and emphasized with our pain, where I, for the first time, had to look into the eyes of a West Bank Palestinian and explain my position, this is what we need. Anyone who thinks otherwise is holding peace back.
-We spoke about morals and a Palestinian and I were the only ones who agreed that telling a Muslim woman to take off her hijab is extremely violent. We spoke about guns and suddenly, it was me, a Druze and a Christian Palestinian claiming that guns are never ever okay. Morals don't have borders.
-And I didn't get a satisfying answer for Gaza. West Bank Palestinians just don't know what to do. None of us know what to do.
-Another participant told me that I helped her love her Judaism again, that I showed her that Judaism isn't just something that you're born with, it's something to be proud of. Seriously one of the best compliments I've received ever.
-Him: I don't want to speak after you because you're going to say something well spoken and smart.
Me: that's only because I sound American.
-Ahh, my 3D group was just so perfect. I just, I love these people so much. Backstreet Boys, coffee and beach vibes, who needs more?
-An Israeli: Wow, that motorcycle sounded like a bomb siren, I panicked for a second.
A Palestinian, without missing a beat: Sorry about that.
-I had a moment where I managed to find the words to express exactly why using the word colonialism for this conflict is wrong and I felt like the Palestinians understood me. Finally a good use for all the books I've read about Africa.
-European and American activists have no idea what they're talking about and honestly look pathetic at this point. We got this alone, we don't need Belgians and Berkeley students telling us what to do, judging us, asking naïve questions, pretending they're on higher moral ground.
-Palestinians are well aware of the Palestinian corruption- they feel it all the time. They don't need me to tell them that it exists. Solving it is gonna be hard but I do believe in this generation.
-I found myself defending Hamas while a Palestinian criticized it. Just like that.
-Ahh, a friend from the seminar told me I'm the most interesting person he's ever met, politically speaking and I just
-I am so grateful for every minute I spent learning Arabic. Arabic is gorgeous and seeing Palestinians smile when I spoke it made my week.
-And they, the Israeli-Arabs, have taught me that you can feel both Palestinian and Israeli. It's possible and no, it doesn't mean you support violence, it doesn't mean you want to dismantle Israel, it doesn't mean you hate Israelis. And they're a double minority, never Israeli and never Palestinians, always paying the price for their ancestors' decision, being forced to pick a side. It's never that clear cut. But when we were asked if most Israelis and Palestinians are good people, it was only us and me that strongly agreed.
-The people who read my application told me that they had to spend ten minutes reading online what nonbinary/gender non conforming is.
-We were asked to write stereotypes about ourselves and the "other side". My Jewish-Israeli team filled up an entire page easily, with everything from occupiers to the murderers of Jesus, complete with a sketch of the classic Jew, straight from Nazi propaganda. The Arab-Palestinian team had a brief list of 9 stereotypes, of which 4 were positive things. We're Jews and we carry trauma, we own our scars with humor, we're proud of still being alive when everyone has always wanted us dead. Despite everything, Palestinians don't understand Jewish pain. However, both of us called the other side generous. And both of us said the other side is playing the victim. All of this means something.
-I came out as nonbinary and it was so so hard and sure, they didn't understand but I still did it and I hope maybe, just maybe, something will stick.
-And I kept getting asked about nonreligious Zionism, I kept trying to find the words to explain that Jewish ghosts haunt every corner of this country, that it's not God that let us into this land and it's not the Nazis, it's our heritage, our history, our culture. I'm not sure if I succeeded but it's remarkable how Palestinians are truly invested in trying to understand our connection to this land, even if it comes from a desire to discredit it.
-The dialogue trainers kept saying that our group is more chill than the other group. And it's true, none of us came to argue. We were a group of people who were always up for making a joke, for turning things light. Dialogue can exist even if people are not expressing themselves through shouting.
-The two state/one state debate is a conversation between Ashkenazi Jews and no one else, as the dialogue trainer said. Palestinians really couldn't care less. There are Palestinians that don't give a fuck about having an independent state, they don't want to give the PA more power, all they want is better living conditions.
-And yes, there are Palestinians that think all of this belongs to them. There are Palestinians that think Tel Aviv is theirs, Temple Mount is theirs, the sea is theirs. And we don't agree. And I still think Palestinians are responsible for much of their suffering, that they kept making wrong decisions, that we built start-ups while they built bombs, that the checkpoints aren't that bad and are a result of the terror, necessary evil is still necessary. And yet, I also understand that as the stronger side now, Israel is responsible. We're the 31st largest economy in the world- they're the 120th.
-There is sand in all of my belongings, I'm still finding sand in my hair but you know, it feels good to know that this seminar actually existed, that a mere few days ago I was there on a beach, learning that even very sweaty hugs are blessed.
-The village we were staying at was not particularly safe. We were encouraged not to go alone. And me, I'm a solo-traveler, roaming around every corner of NYC but after two weeks of hearing things like, "which guy wants to walk home with the women", I felt less capable of walking alone. Crossing the street alone began to intimidate me, let alone walking around at night. I can't imagine the bravery of Muslim women who grew up hearing this all day every day and still go out and break these borders.
-A Palestinian referring to Shabbat as "that bread thing" and another Palestinian getting confused between matzah (disgusting cracker) and challah (delicious Shabbat bread).
-I pitched a start-up idea, ran into technical trouble and said "whoops" every 30 seconds on average, but hey, I actually did it (and somehow received compliments for my "quick thinking on my feet")!
-"A peace solution where everyone cannot go to the beach is no lasting peace solution" is a thing I actually said.
-I learned that Palestinian unis have a mandatory class that teaches the Palestinian narrative. When I said Israeli universities don't have that, the Palestinian guy joked that even Israeli universities think we don't have enough of a narrative. I responded by suggesting that the Palestinian brainwashing exists even in universities. There are always so many slants to this conflict and my god, where's the truth (and also, I already miss our political seminar humor).
- Late nights of drinking wine and talking about politics are always going to be better than nights not spent doing so.
There were some lines that especially stood out to me. "I feel as if I'm on the moon listening to the air hiss out of my spacesuit, and I can't find the hole. I'm the vice president of panic, and the president is missing" was a favorite. "We are only remembered as cruel when what we harm does not die quickly," was also a line I liked.
I loved Golden Record and So You Want To Leave Purgatory. There's something about all of the poems in this collection, they feel very strange yet somehow, it all makes sense. It's a very cohesive piece of work. Lewis has a style that remains consistent and holds all of this work together.
It's hard to write reviews for poetry. I think it's a good collection and that it could speak to people. I'm not sure how much of this book will remain with me but I'm glad I read this book at the time that I did.
ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN SEMINAR ADVENTURES
- We are all so fucking beautiful. With our identities, our traumas, our split narratives, our fear of the future. A conflict of refugees and indigenous people where everyone is both, we are equally David and Goliath. We are struggling within ourselves just as much as we struggle with each other. It's amazing that the death toll of this conflict is so small.
-"This is not an anthropological expedition, we're cleaning a bathroom" is potentially one of the best things someone ever told me.
-We stayed up until 5am arguing about social responsibility and decision making. As an Israeli, am I obligated to solve this conflict or do I choose to?
-BDS would have been against this seminar. This is something a Palestinian told me and he's right. He's right and BDS are so so wrong. This brilliant seminar, where Israelis and Palestinians spoke to each other and emphasized with our pain, where I, for the first time, had to look into the eyes of a West Bank Palestinian and explain my position, this is what we need. Anyone who thinks otherwise is holding peace back.
-We spoke about morals and a Palestinian and I were the only ones who agreed that telling a Muslim woman to take off her hijab is extremely violent. We spoke about guns and suddenly, it was me, a Druze and a Christian Palestinian claiming that guns are never ever okay. Morals don't have borders.
-And I didn't get a satisfying answer for Gaza. West Bank Palestinians just don't know what to do. None of us know what to do.
-Another participant told me that I helped her love her Judaism again, that I showed her that Judaism isn't just something that you're born with, it's something to be proud of. Seriously one of the best compliments I've received ever.
-Him: I don't want to speak after you because you're going to say something well spoken and smart.
Me: that's only because I sound American.
-Ahh, my 3D group was just so perfect. I just, I love these people so much. Backstreet Boys, coffee and beach vibes, who needs more?
-An Israeli: Wow, that motorcycle sounded like a bomb siren, I panicked for a second.
A Palestinian, without missing a beat: Sorry about that.
-I had a moment where I managed to find the words to express exactly why using the word colonialism for this conflict is wrong and I felt like the Palestinians understood me. Finally a good use for all the books I've read about Africa.
-European and American activists have no idea what they're talking about and honestly look pathetic at this point. We got this alone, we don't need Belgians and Berkeley students telling us what to do, judging us, asking naïve questions, pretending they're on higher moral ground.
-Palestinians are well aware of the Palestinian corruption- they feel it all the time. They don't need me to tell them that it exists. Solving it is gonna be hard but I do believe in this generation.
-I found myself defending Hamas while a Palestinian criticized it. Just like that.
-Ahh, a friend from the seminar told me I'm the most interesting person he's ever met, politically speaking and I just
-I am so grateful for every minute I spent learning Arabic. Arabic is gorgeous and seeing Palestinians smile when I spoke it made my week.
-And they, the Israeli-Arabs, have taught me that you can feel both Palestinian and Israeli. It's possible and no, it doesn't mean you support violence, it doesn't mean you want to dismantle Israel, it doesn't mean you hate Israelis. And they're a double minority, never Israeli and never Palestinians, always paying the price for their ancestors' decision, being forced to pick a side. It's never that clear cut. But when we were asked if most Israelis and Palestinians are good people, it was only us and me that strongly agreed.
-The people who read my application told me that they had to spend ten minutes reading online what nonbinary/gender non conforming is.
-We were asked to write stereotypes about ourselves and the "other side". My Jewish-Israeli team filled up an entire page easily, with everything from occupiers to the murderers of Jesus, complete with a sketch of the classic Jew, straight from Nazi propaganda. The Arab-Palestinian team had a brief list of 9 stereotypes, of which 4 were positive things. We're Jews and we carry trauma, we own our scars with humor, we're proud of still being alive when everyone has always wanted us dead. Despite everything, Palestinians don't understand Jewish pain. However, both of us called the other side generous. And both of us said the other side is playing the victim. All of this means something.
-I came out as nonbinary and it was so so hard and sure, they didn't understand but I still did it and I hope maybe, just maybe, something will stick.
-And I kept getting asked about nonreligious Zionism, I kept trying to find the words to explain that Jewish ghosts haunt every corner of this country, that it's not God that let us into this land and it's not the Nazis, it's our heritage, our history, our culture. I'm not sure if I succeeded but it's remarkable how Palestinians are truly invested in trying to understand our connection to this land, even if it comes from a desire to discredit it.
-The dialogue trainers kept saying that our group is more chill than the other group. And it's true, none of us came to argue. We were a group of people who were always up for making a joke, for turning things light. Dialogue can exist even if people are not expressing themselves through shouting.
-The two state/one state debate is a conversation between Ashkenazi Jews and no one else, as the dialogue trainer said. Palestinians really couldn't care less. There are Palestinians that don't give a fuck about having an independent state, they don't want to give the PA more power, all they want is better living conditions.
-And yes, there are Palestinians that think all of this belongs to them. There are Palestinians that think Tel Aviv is theirs, Temple Mount is theirs, the sea is theirs. And we don't agree. And I still think Palestinians are responsible for much of their suffering, that they kept making wrong decisions, that we built start-ups while they built bombs, that the checkpoints aren't that bad and are a result of the terror, necessary evil is still necessary. And yet, I also understand that as the stronger side now, Israel is responsible. We're the 31st largest economy in the world- they're the 120th.
-There is sand in all of my belongings, I'm still finding sand in my hair but you know, it feels good to know that this seminar actually existed, that a mere few days ago I was there on a beach, learning that even very sweaty hugs are blessed.
-The village we were staying at was not particularly safe. We were encouraged not to go alone. And me, I'm a solo-traveler, roaming around every corner of NYC but after two weeks of hearing things like, "which guy wants to walk home with the women", I felt less capable of walking alone. Crossing the street alone began to intimidate me, let alone walking around at night. I can't imagine the bravery of Muslim women who grew up hearing this all day every day and still go out and break these borders.
-A Palestinian referring to Shabbat as "that bread thing" and another Palestinian getting confused between matzah (disgusting cracker) and challah (delicious Shabbat bread).
-I pitched a start-up idea, ran into technical trouble and said "whoops" every 30 seconds on average, but hey, I actually did it (and somehow received compliments for my "quick thinking on my feet")!
-"A peace solution where everyone cannot go to the beach is no lasting peace solution" is a thing I actually said.
-I learned that Palestinian unis have a mandatory class that teaches the Palestinian narrative. When I said Israeli universities don't have that, the Palestinian guy joked that even Israeli universities think we don't have enough of a narrative. I responded by suggesting that the Palestinian brainwashing exists even in universities. There are always so many slants to this conflict and my god, where's the truth (and also, I already miss our political seminar humor).
- Late nights of drinking wine and talking about politics are always going to be better than nights not spent doing so.
October 18, 2019
I was emotionally struck over and over (most often with satisfied smiles) by Paige Lewis’ debut collection of poetry. The voices of these poems are tender and cheeky and gloriously absurd, and I still keep finding places to hide in these poems. This is my way of saying there is a lot of room to make these poems what you want them to be, and for as many times as you want to come back to them.
The speakers, sometimes over the course of a single poem, will remind me of myself at one turn, my wife at another, and then hit a deeper version of myself I’m still understanding. It was fun tracing the motifs throughout the book (stars, saints, self-understanding, "my beloved”), and I love how they made me feel large and safe in my difference.
Learning to live as a queer man in my early 40s has its challenges—some days I feel both closer to myself but farther from the world. But it’s more often poetry, like the generous, playful, amphibious speakers of Lewis’ poems that ground me in this larger human world, fill me with possibility, and make me happy to be weird/imaginative/wild/hopeful me and more connected to “my beloved."
Favourite line: “Tell me, how do I steady my gaze / when everything I want is in motion?"
Favorite poem: “When I Tell My Beloved I Miss the Sun, He Knows” (which is available at poets.org)
The speakers, sometimes over the course of a single poem, will remind me of myself at one turn, my wife at another, and then hit a deeper version of myself I’m still understanding. It was fun tracing the motifs throughout the book (stars, saints, self-understanding, "my beloved”), and I love how they made me feel large and safe in my difference.
Learning to live as a queer man in my early 40s has its challenges—some days I feel both closer to myself but farther from the world. But it’s more often poetry, like the generous, playful, amphibious speakers of Lewis’ poems that ground me in this larger human world, fill me with possibility, and make me happy to be weird/imaginative/wild/hopeful me and more connected to “my beloved."
Favourite line: “Tell me, how do I steady my gaze / when everything I want is in motion?"
Favorite poem: “When I Tell My Beloved I Miss the Sun, He Knows” (which is available at poets.org)
April 20, 2020
Listened on audio and loved it. Will re-listen at some point or buy a print copy! Thank you Libro.fm for sending me a free audiobook🥰
Lately, I've been feeling betrayed by names
The king cobra isn't a cobra
The electric eel isn't an eel
And it turns out my anger was fear all along
______________
I come from the same place as everyone else
The place where people take
And the taking becomes its own person
Where everyone hurts and gets hurt
And the hurt can be heard asking the same question,
"Why isn't anybody stopping this?"
Lately, I've been feeling betrayed by names
The king cobra isn't a cobra
The electric eel isn't an eel
And it turns out my anger was fear all along
______________
I come from the same place as everyone else
The place where people take
And the taking becomes its own person
Where everyone hurts and gets hurt
And the hurt can be heard asking the same question,
"Why isn't anybody stopping this?"
October 10, 2019
If Space Struck is a house with so many rooms, every poem is a room lined with tender peculiarity. Plush and weird and curious. Earthly and superlunary. Space for the aching, space for the saints even when you least expect them, space to marvel, space to wonder. Space for all kinds of creatures, like and unlike you and me. Every poem is a room with a worthwhile view here. I'm so glad to have been invited inside.
April 5, 2020
Although I have a deep love for poetry, I’m always a little anxious about reviewing it because I’m no expert. I just like what I like, and I must say I really liked this book.
I loved the beautiful writing and depth but at the same time feel this is a great poetry book for those looking to get into poetry. So much love and humor and tenderness. I loved the emotion, the animals and religion, the humanness.
The poems were so varied but somehow fit perfectly as a collection. My favorites were “The Moment I Saw A Pelican Devour” and “Golden Record”. I will be re-reading this book often.
I highly recommend this as an audiobook as I was fortunate enough to receive an audiobook in exchange for my honest review. The narrator did a great job capturing the essence of the poems.
May 2, 2020
some of these poems actually made me gasp aloud. WOW! would recommend to anyone seeking signs of hope for the future of american poetry. this is it.
August 31, 2024
Sealey Challenge 2024: 30/31
**3.5/5 stars**
In Space Struck the poet examines nature, science, and religion in a time where all three are in decline. I enjoyed some of these poems and there were interesting stylistic choices and structures as well. The structure of the poems felt accessible, nothing too convoluted in my opinion. Yet, I don’t feel like I fully absorbed or understood many of the poems in this as some of the themes and the language used felt abstract. I still enjoyed my time reading this one, but there were only a few that really stuck with me!
**3.5/5 stars**
In Space Struck the poet examines nature, science, and religion in a time where all three are in decline. I enjoyed some of these poems and there were interesting stylistic choices and structures as well. The structure of the poems felt accessible, nothing too convoluted in my opinion. Yet, I don’t feel like I fully absorbed or understood many of the poems in this as some of the themes and the language used felt abstract. I still enjoyed my time reading this one, but there were only a few that really stuck with me!
December 27, 2020
really liked this collection! Will definitely need to give it another listen through
August 23, 2020
I give it 3.5 stars.
I am reading this collection of poems as part of a bookclub. And some of the discussions about it have been very interesting. Without the discussion with others, I don't think I would have been able to grasp a lot of what Lewis wrote.
However, there is some great imagery in many of the poems. The references to real things that have happened in the world are really interesting. I never before would have thought I'd learn about factual things in poetry.
I also liked how, through the discussions, it seemed as if Lewis had many themes running throughout many of the poems, despite them not seeming to be directly related.
Even though I didn't give it a high star rating, it does have me interested in trying to read more poetry in the future.
I am reading this collection of poems as part of a bookclub. And some of the discussions about it have been very interesting. Without the discussion with others, I don't think I would have been able to grasp a lot of what Lewis wrote.
However, there is some great imagery in many of the poems. The references to real things that have happened in the world are really interesting. I never before would have thought I'd learn about factual things in poetry.
I also liked how, through the discussions, it seemed as if Lewis had many themes running throughout many of the poems, despite them not seeming to be directly related.
Even though I didn't give it a high star rating, it does have me interested in trying to read more poetry in the future.
August 12, 2020
"I'm the vice president of panic, and the president is missing."
*2,5 stars
I adored "On the train a man snatches my book.", but most of the other poems didn't really connect with me. But poetry is a very personal thing after all, so I'm not by any means blaming this on the author.
*2,5 stars
I adored "On the train a man snatches my book.", but most of the other poems didn't really connect with me. But poetry is a very personal thing after all, so I'm not by any means blaming this on the author.
October 14, 2021
adding a review for this three months later to say that i can’t stop thinking about these poems. this is definitely my favorite of the collections i’ve read this year. such cleverness in terms of form and concept/content. just obsessed
January 26, 2023
Every time I read this my heart bubbles up and bursts. 10,000/10.
May 12, 2020
this made me believe in love again
August 5, 2020
I don’t read a lot of poetry, but listened to this one as an audiobook, and LOVED it! The narrator was brilliant and the words were simply beautiful.
July 14, 2022
You Can Take Off Your Sweater, I've Made Today Warm
Sit on the park bench and chew this mint leaf.
Right now, way above your head, two men
floating in a rocket ship are ignoring their
delicate experiments, their buttons flashing
red. Watching you chew your mint, the men
forget about their gritty toothpaste, about
their fingers, numb from lack of gravity.
They see you and, for the first time since
liftoff, think home. When they were boys
they were gentle. And smart. One could
tie string around a fly without cinching it
in half. One wrote tales of sailors who
drowned after mistaking the backs of
whales for islands. Does it matter which
man is which? They just quit their mission
for you. They’re on their way down. You’ll
take both men—a winter husband, and
a summer husband. Does it matter which
is—don’t slump like that. Get up, we have
so much work to do before— wait you’re going
the wrong way small whelp of a woman! this is not
how we behave where are you going
this world is
already willing
to give you anything do you want to know Latin
okay now everyone
here knows Latin want inflatable deer
deer! I promise the winter/
summer children will barely hurt dear I’m hurt
that you would ever think
i don’t glisten to you i’m always glistening
tame your voice and turn around
the men are coming they’ve
traded everything for you
the gemmy starlight
the click click click
of the universe expanding
stop
aren’t you known aren’t you
known here
how can you be certain that anywhere else will provide
�� more pears than you could ever eat
remember the sweet rot of
it all
come back you forgot your sweater
what if there’s nothing there when you—
you don’t have your
sweater
what if it’s cold
Sit on the park bench and chew this mint leaf.
Right now, way above your head, two men
floating in a rocket ship are ignoring their
delicate experiments, their buttons flashing
red. Watching you chew your mint, the men
forget about their gritty toothpaste, about
their fingers, numb from lack of gravity.
They see you and, for the first time since
liftoff, think home. When they were boys
they were gentle. And smart. One could
tie string around a fly without cinching it
in half. One wrote tales of sailors who
drowned after mistaking the backs of
whales for islands. Does it matter which
man is which? They just quit their mission
for you. They’re on their way down. You’ll
take both men—a winter husband, and
a summer husband. Does it matter which
is—don’t slump like that. Get up, we have
so much work to do before— wait you’re going
the wrong way small whelp of a woman! this is not
how we behave where are you going
this world is
already willing
to give you anything do you want to know Latin
okay now everyone
here knows Latin want inflatable deer
deer! I promise the winter/
summer children will barely hurt dear I’m hurt
that you would ever think
i don’t glisten to you i’m always glistening
tame your voice and turn around
the men are coming they’ve
traded everything for you
the gemmy starlight
the click click click
of the universe expanding
stop
aren’t you known aren’t you
known here
how can you be certain that anywhere else will provide
�� more pears than you could ever eat
remember the sweet rot of
it all
come back you forgot your sweater
what if there’s nothing there when you—
you don’t have your
sweater
what if it’s cold
February 5, 2025
3.75 stars
Surreal and absurd yet still approachable despite its abstract language and themes. The writing style grew on me the more I progressed through the collection.
Surreal and absurd yet still approachable despite its abstract language and themes. The writing style grew on me the more I progressed through the collection.
April 5, 2020
I listened to the audio book, maybe reading it would've made a different impact
August 28, 2020
All i can say is - the last time i felt this way .. i was reading Emily Dickinson’s poetry ❤️
March 2, 2020
Lovely book of poetry. Lewis's writing is exceptionally clear; the deep thinking in these poems come from the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated ideas and wham lines like "I just hope I'm forgiven for the nights I / spend on the fire escape, untying this city's prayers / long enough to hear the first few words. Each one / starts the same—Make this mine, Lord. Make this mine."
It's semi-religious without being preachy, and while there's some stuff on space I would say the overarching theme is love and self, like a lot of poetry. Would recommend to anyone looking to dabble in a bit of poetry with some depth to it.
It's semi-religious without being preachy, and while there's some stuff on space I would say the overarching theme is love and self, like a lot of poetry. Would recommend to anyone looking to dabble in a bit of poetry with some depth to it.
July 19, 2022
me? reading poetry? unheard of. i can’t claim to understand anything about poetry or paige lewis’ absurd tangents, but i’m slowly realizing it’s less about understanding and more about listening, absorbing, holding.
so i’m holding onto these banger lines:
“I just hope I’m forgiven for the nights I
spend on the fire escape, untying this city’s prayers
long enough to hear the first few words. Each one
starts the same—Make this mine, Lord. Make this mine.”
“Tell me, how do I steady my gaze
when everything I want is motion?”
“Do they still
count, these hours I’ve spent on my
own? Do they still count if I’m saving
all of my shiniest thoughts for you?”
so i’m holding onto these banger lines:
“I just hope I’m forgiven for the nights I
spend on the fire escape, untying this city’s prayers
long enough to hear the first few words. Each one
starts the same—Make this mine, Lord. Make this mine.”
“Tell me, how do I steady my gaze
when everything I want is motion?”
“Do they still
count, these hours I’ve spent on my
own? Do they still count if I’m saving
all of my shiniest thoughts for you?”
May 17, 2020
Actual rating: 3.75 stars
This poetry collection really made me think. I admit I didn't get all the meanings hidden in the poems and lines, but there were also a lot that deeply resonated with me. I haven't read a lot of poetry collections, but I found the poems unique. They're a bit strange, but I think that's what made this collection remarkable. It's so different from the "modern poetry" we know these days. All in all, this was a very refreshing read 😊
This poetry collection really made me think. I admit I didn't get all the meanings hidden in the poems and lines, but there were also a lot that deeply resonated with me. I haven't read a lot of poetry collections, but I found the poems unique. They're a bit strange, but I think that's what made this collection remarkable. It's so different from the "modern poetry" we know these days. All in all, this was a very refreshing read 😊
April 19, 2020
Been reading this a poem at a time since November, never wanting to leave it. <3
June 3, 2021
oh absolutely lovely!!!
March 11, 2020
I love picking up a poetry book and discovering a new poet who jumps into my list of favorites. Never having been a teacher, I have only taught one poetry workshop so far. Yet one of Lewis’s poem with a lead-in title makes me think I have a new exercise both for poet wannabees and readers who haven’t opened their eyes to the wonder of surprise. “I Love Those Who Can Slow Walk Over Glass and Still Keep”: how would you end that thought? I’m going to tell you at the end, in case you want to pick up a pen and try. But wait! Here’s another title in search of an ending: “Last Night I Dreamed I Made Myself Your”: go ahead. I seriously doubt anyone else on the planet will finish that line as she did.
Some of Lewis’s poems are what I’d call surreal, but most just appear to be wildly imaginative in their own way. I didn’t always follow what she was doing, but didn’t care. She kidnapped my mind for the duration of this book. She incorporates a lot of humor and tenderness, but mostly surprise, surprise, surprise!
She had me chuckling many times, especially with this
“… – and I think
about how hard it is for me to believe
in the first Adam because if Adam
had the power to name everything,
everything would be named Adam.”
(“Last Night I Dreamed I Made Myself Your”)
Obviously, Lewis has a gift for quirky titling that makes you want to jump into the poem. Here are a few other titles I really loved: “No One Cares Until You’re the Last of Something,” “The Terre Haute Planetarium Rejected My Proposal," and “God’s Secretary, Overworked.”
I continually marked lines I wish I’d come up with like these
“… I’m a miserable excuse for a planet.
Wildly rectangular orbit. I move
through life like I’m trying to
avoid a stranger’s vacation photo.”
“…. Oh, we are boring and superstitious
in my city. We believe tides are caused by millions of oysters
gasping in unison….”
So how did you finish those two writing exercises I gave you? Here’s what Lewis said,
“I Love Those Who Can Slow Walk Over Glass and Still Keep
all their blood inside.”
That was the third poem in the book, so I knew I was going to be staying in my seat a good while.
Here's the answer to my second challenge
““Last Night I Dreamed I Made Myself Your”
your paperweight….”
Some of Lewis’s poems are what I’d call surreal, but most just appear to be wildly imaginative in their own way. I didn’t always follow what she was doing, but didn’t care. She kidnapped my mind for the duration of this book. She incorporates a lot of humor and tenderness, but mostly surprise, surprise, surprise!
She had me chuckling many times, especially with this
“… – and I think
about how hard it is for me to believe
in the first Adam because if Adam
had the power to name everything,
everything would be named Adam.”
(“Last Night I Dreamed I Made Myself Your”)
Obviously, Lewis has a gift for quirky titling that makes you want to jump into the poem. Here are a few other titles I really loved: “No One Cares Until You’re the Last of Something,” “The Terre Haute Planetarium Rejected My Proposal," and “God’s Secretary, Overworked.”
I continually marked lines I wish I’d come up with like these
“… I’m a miserable excuse for a planet.
Wildly rectangular orbit. I move
through life like I’m trying to
avoid a stranger’s vacation photo.”
“…. Oh, we are boring and superstitious
in my city. We believe tides are caused by millions of oysters
gasping in unison….”
So how did you finish those two writing exercises I gave you? Here’s what Lewis said,
“I Love Those Who Can Slow Walk Over Glass and Still Keep
all their blood inside.”
That was the third poem in the book, so I knew I was going to be staying in my seat a good while.
Here's the answer to my second challenge
““Last Night I Dreamed I Made Myself Your”
your paperweight….”
April 7, 2020
"How advanced
are you? We’re not looking to move backwards —
even our primal yelps crawl up the throat and out
the mouth — but we’re known to be flexible in tight
situations, we’re known to be honest when desperate
and honestly, we’re right here if you like what you see." - We Know Nothing About Our Bodies
Read by Xe Sands, Space Struck is a collection of poems by the very talented Paige Lewis. The poems speak about the universe, wildlife, relationships, fear. They thrum with an undercurrent, vibrating against your soul. Xe's narration is soft, her voice fills me with a longing. Of what, I do not know. It makes me feel a bit sad, a bit incomplete.
I don't know if I am the right person to review this book because I am more of a fan of classic poetry, and that I am more comfortable reading the poem than listening to someone else read it. It was difficult to understand what was being said at times. As a non-American English speaker I had to slow down the speed of the audio to make out the words clearly. But that being said, I liked most of them. In fact I hunted down websites to read the poems in person and my verdict is: go for it! Here is another excerpt:
"I think
about how hard it is for me to believe
in the first Adam because if Adam
had the power to name everything,
everything would be named Adam." - Last Night I Dreamed
are you? We’re not looking to move backwards —
even our primal yelps crawl up the throat and out
the mouth — but we’re known to be flexible in tight
situations, we’re known to be honest when desperate
and honestly, we’re right here if you like what you see." - We Know Nothing About Our Bodies
Read by Xe Sands, Space Struck is a collection of poems by the very talented Paige Lewis. The poems speak about the universe, wildlife, relationships, fear. They thrum with an undercurrent, vibrating against your soul. Xe's narration is soft, her voice fills me with a longing. Of what, I do not know. It makes me feel a bit sad, a bit incomplete.
I don't know if I am the right person to review this book because I am more of a fan of classic poetry, and that I am more comfortable reading the poem than listening to someone else read it. It was difficult to understand what was being said at times. As a non-American English speaker I had to slow down the speed of the audio to make out the words clearly. But that being said, I liked most of them. In fact I hunted down websites to read the poems in person and my verdict is: go for it! Here is another excerpt:
"I think
about how hard it is for me to believe
in the first Adam because if Adam
had the power to name everything,
everything would be named Adam." - Last Night I Dreamed
March 17, 2020
What an enchanting roundup of strangeness are the poems in Space Struck by Paige Lewis. Like some other readers, I didn't always understand what they were doing, or how they took us from point A, to point Q, to point Meteor, to point Fairy Tale, but I unfailingly enjoyed the journey. I especially loved the way poem titles work throughout the book, some functioning as part of the opening sentence, others as headings to a set of instructions, and still others broken in clever ways--for instance the poem "Last Night I Dreamed I Made Myself," which goes on to finish that thought in line 1 with "your paperweight." Loved that world of difference between making oneself and making oneself an incredibly boring utilitarian object. There were several standout poems in here, including "The Terre Haute Planetarium Rejected My Proposal," "God Stops By," "You Be You, and I'll Be Busy," among others. I thought the collection ended on an especially strong note with its final three poems. The very last of these is "Royal I," which includes the thought "...I've rid the realm/of rats by reading their tiny diaries out loud/until they ran into the forests, red-cheeked/and babbling..."
That's how delightfully weird this is...and how incredibly good.
That's how delightfully weird this is...and how incredibly good.
April 22, 2020
I was torn rating this book between 3.5 or 4. But then, I opted for 4 stars. This book is painful. It dwells between the aspect of our life. Perhaps, from the synopsis the factors, variables, and maybe the driving force in our life centers by the universe is what made this book a good read. It was emotional and short. Impactful at most and I love it.
August 26, 2020
I hovered between 4 and 5 stars on this one, but the poems that really hit me hit me so hard I think the 5 is worth it.
My only experience with modern poetry has been Rupi Kaur, and while those are relatable and emotional, I felt such a different connection and level in this collection that I don’t think I’d feel the same way about MILK AND HONEY now if I went back and reread.
I’m definitely going to be challenging myself to explore poetry more after thoroughly enjoying this collection.
My only experience with modern poetry has been Rupi Kaur, and while those are relatable and emotional, I felt such a different connection and level in this collection that I don’t think I’d feel the same way about MILK AND HONEY now if I went back and reread.
I’m definitely going to be challenging myself to explore poetry more after thoroughly enjoying this collection.
January 16, 2022
I haven’t loved equally all the poems but just because some of them made me gasp. Wondering why this poetry book isn’t more famous.
“Tell me, how do I steady my gaze when everything I want is motion?”
“Still, I try to hold onto nothing
for fear of being crushed by what can be taken
because sometimes not even our mouths belong to us”
“Tell me, how do I steady my gaze when everything I want is motion?”
“Still, I try to hold onto nothing
for fear of being crushed by what can be taken
because sometimes not even our mouths belong to us”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 452 reviews