Dark

by Hannah Herrera

A short collection of dark poetry. This is the first poem book in the Dark(ish) / Light(er) Series. Themes within the pages include poems about death, loss, grief, suicide, feeling blue, unrequited love, and more. There is a trigger warning in first few pages of the book to be cautious if you are suffering with your own mental illness. It is encouraged that if you, or someone you know is struggling with depression/anxiety or other mental illnesses, seek help. It saves lives!

----- Excerpt -------

TATTERED SOULS

We treat people like clothes.

Once we see the evidence of holes.
We throw them away and find something new.
Instead of learning how to sew.

Genres: Poetry

85 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 19, 2019

About the author

Hannah Herrera was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1993. She’s lived in a small town in Baker County all her entire life, and has always been fascinated with listening to stories and reading books. When she isn’t writing, Hannah spends her days co-hosting a paranormal/true crime podcast called, "The Dreadful Archives." She can also be found drawing digital art on her iPad, watching k-dramas, hitting up local hotpot restaurants with her beloved husband, sucking down caffeine to fortify her writing powers, or being silly with her only child. She also feeds the neighborhood stray cats and has a tiny garden that she constantly battles to keep green.

Reviews

[Kezia Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark(ish) is a beautiful, sensitively written collection of short poems interspersed with gorgeous illustrations, all exploring themes of loss, grief, depression, and the struggle to find balance. Raw but measured, emotional but contained, Hannah Herrera navigates deep and complex ideas with delicacy and elegance.

Poems like 'The Peach Pit' and 'Mouth Breather' give glimpses of the ugly sides of love, relationships, and the difficult paths women have to tread in the modern world, while 'Purgatory' and 'Moth Soul' offer relatable echoes from the mires of depression, yet without ever sinking into self-indulgence.

The use of rhyme and rhythm gives the collection a satisfying unity that goes beyond its themes and - while I would love to see Ms. Herrera also offer up some longer poems that would allow for expansion on the great imagery and vivid detail in poems like 'Voodoo Doll' ("You poke and prod, unraveling / Until there is absolutely nothing left of me. / You twist my arm around my back / and force me how to be.") - Dark(ish) remains a very enjoyable read, and I'm excited to see what comes next in the series!

[Helen Whistberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply personal and heart wrenching poetry touching on (as the title of the collection suggests) some dark topics: depression, abuse, death, suicide, low self-esteem. The subject matter lends itself to emotional writing, and there is plenty of that here along with some poems written with an almost clinical detachment in the way of someone who has learned to disassociate themselves to try and gain some self-protection from the painful side of life. Many of the poems are very short but often have all the more impact as each word carries a weight and meaning carefully chosen by the author. For those readers suffering from their own burdens, there is more darkness than light to be found here but also a touching reminder that we are not alone in feeling that way. A brave and honest work from the soul of the poet.

[Tessy Braun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully presented book of poetry!

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. I love the relevent illustrations in it, and the poems were mostly short but so poignant and strong. My favourite ones were "Smoke" and "Blue" but they were all very good indeed. I would recommend you download this book and give it a read yourself😊

[Cristina Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark(ish) is a refreshing collection of poetry that speaks to themes people are afraid to delve into. It allows you to feel the writer's emotions that have been coursing through her very veins. Beautiful, dark and edgy, what poetry is about and what you are introduced to within the collection. Hannah isn't afraid to take your hand, then drop you unexpectedly and leave you to your own devices. While this collection, as a whole, burns brightly in my mind, there are favorites that have left their mark: Where sleeping demons lie, Apollo's Raven, Poe(m), Dark(ish), After Word, Overflow, Moth Soul, Purgatory, Green, The Victim, Black Venom, and Soul Mates. Then there are these three that hit the nail on the head: The Crow helped me, Final Words and Bide.