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phases
phases is a journey through the different seasons life can have, from the passion and heat of summer to the cold grief of winter. It collects poems spanning roughly a decade of the author's life, often using a confessional style to blend candid observations of the world with emotional reflection. It is, ultimately, a journey of healing, and seeing the world in different ways. From the back just as the seasons burn, fade, freeze and bloom again, we too move through our phases.I hope this meets you where you are, whatever you are growing through.
- GenresPoetry
132 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 19, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 22, 2020
phases (Paperback): 5 stars
Phases found me one evening sitting comfortably on my couch wrapped in a warm blanket, sipping a glass of red wine. My most immediate thoughts were of Mary Oliver and Mary Reufle — but Phases is capable of being consumed in one sitting.
I know because I did. Consume it front to back in one sitting.
The book begins in Summer, travels through Autumn, then Winter, and rounds out in Spring.
I found Phases to be a conversation, a confession, and an observation. As h.duxbury effortlessly fluttered between these pillars, I found myself embraced time and time again by invitations to be seen, and more importantly, understood. Phases left me with the feeling that, however different our journeys, maybe we are all walking the same path back to our selves.
Between sipping my wine and occasionally petting my dog, I began my usual practice of dog-earing the pages of poems I like.
I hate doing this to crisp new book pages, but it’s a necessary form of destruction that helps me when I want to find my favorite poems later. I quickly ran into a problem. I couldn’t dog ear in two directions and I refuse to dog-ear on the bottom of pages. I’m not a masochist.
I’m not lying when I tell you I’ve dog eared half the book.
The truth is, I found too many pieces of myself haunting the pages of Phases. It was the kind of honest reflection and communication that cuts like a knife and leaves you carrying the book around with you from room to room for days on end. It felt like finding a friend who gets every bit of every phase of me.
Don’t be ashamed to tuck this collection by your nightstand for easy access.
For my recommendation, I loop back to my intro. I recommend this book FFO the two Marys (Reufle and Oliver), but expect a much easier read. I actually recommend consuming it in one sitting. It was spellbinding that way.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention. Somewhere in the middle of Autumn, I began to wonder about the typeface used for the body of the collection. Don’t worry, she covers that, too.
Phases found me one evening sitting comfortably on my couch wrapped in a warm blanket, sipping a glass of red wine. My most immediate thoughts were of Mary Oliver and Mary Reufle — but Phases is capable of being consumed in one sitting.
I know because I did. Consume it front to back in one sitting.
The book begins in Summer, travels through Autumn, then Winter, and rounds out in Spring.
I found Phases to be a conversation, a confession, and an observation. As h.duxbury effortlessly fluttered between these pillars, I found myself embraced time and time again by invitations to be seen, and more importantly, understood. Phases left me with the feeling that, however different our journeys, maybe we are all walking the same path back to our selves.
Between sipping my wine and occasionally petting my dog, I began my usual practice of dog-earing the pages of poems I like.
I hate doing this to crisp new book pages, but it’s a necessary form of destruction that helps me when I want to find my favorite poems later. I quickly ran into a problem. I couldn’t dog ear in two directions and I refuse to dog-ear on the bottom of pages. I’m not a masochist.
I’m not lying when I tell you I’ve dog eared half the book.
The truth is, I found too many pieces of myself haunting the pages of Phases. It was the kind of honest reflection and communication that cuts like a knife and leaves you carrying the book around with you from room to room for days on end. It felt like finding a friend who gets every bit of every phase of me.
Don’t be ashamed to tuck this collection by your nightstand for easy access.
For my recommendation, I loop back to my intro. I recommend this book FFO the two Marys (Reufle and Oliver), but expect a much easier read. I actually recommend consuming it in one sitting. It was spellbinding that way.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention. Somewhere in the middle of Autumn, I began to wonder about the typeface used for the body of the collection. Don’t worry, she covers that, too.
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May 9, 2021Amazing Book by a First Time Author
Phases the best poetry book I've read from a new author. And if that seems like an extremely strong statement of praise, that's because it is.
It is not often you find a true hidden gem like this from a relatively unknown author, and it ends up being a pure joy to read. There is a depth and a magic to H. Duxbury's writing that somehow leaves you feeling full and wanting more at the same time.
This review took me longer than I intended to post. Not because it was hard to find great things about H. Duxbury's book, but because everytime I started to write the review, it reminded me of another of her poems. I would go find that poem, and once again get caught up reading bits of this wonderful book instead of posting my review about it.
Phases is strong from start to finish. The book is divided into four "seasons" of poems, which ended up being a really neat concept. Each poem in a given chapter is reflective of the season described at the beginning of that section. While my personal favorite season was winter, my favorite individual piece was a summer poem called Pebbles. This goes to show that the entire collection was balanced and captivating.
I definitely reccomend this book for anyone who enjoys contemporary poetry. I am so thankful that I found H. Duxbury and so happy that I discovered Phases. And I can't wait to see what this author does next.
Phases the best poetry book I've read from a new author. And if that seems like an extremely strong statement of praise, that's because it is.
It is not often you find a true hidden gem like this from a relatively unknown author, and it ends up being a pure joy to read. There is a depth and a magic to H. Duxbury's writing that somehow leaves you feeling full and wanting more at the same time.
This review took me longer than I intended to post. Not because it was hard to find great things about H. Duxbury's book, but because everytime I started to write the review, it reminded me of another of her poems. I would go find that poem, and once again get caught up reading bits of this wonderful book instead of posting my review about it.
Phases is strong from start to finish. The book is divided into four "seasons" of poems, which ended up being a really neat concept. Each poem in a given chapter is reflective of the season described at the beginning of that section. While my personal favorite season was winter, my favorite individual piece was a summer poem called Pebbles. This goes to show that the entire collection was balanced and captivating.
I definitely reccomend this book for anyone who enjoys contemporary poetry. I am so thankful that I found H. Duxbury and so happy that I discovered Phases. And I can't wait to see what this author does next.
February 18, 2021
Phases is amazing. H. Duxbury manages to write emotional pieces that feel like an observer to her life is writing down whatever she sees around her and in her past and future. Using wonderful metaphors and beautiful language she manages to make you feel hopeful, even during the winter phase.
Reading this book is like hearing the final song in a movie with an open ending full of possibilities.
I LOVED this book and would recommend it to anyone.
Reading this book is like hearing the final song in a movie with an open ending full of possibilities.
I LOVED this book and would recommend it to anyone.
June 24, 2020
This is quite honestly my favourite collection of poetry! It is rare to come across a poet who consistently captures your mind with each perfectly placed word and each clever metaphor. Her words never come off as forced to fit, but simply flow, seemingly effortlessly, from her pen to my ears. Truly a talent to be modelled after! I can’t wait for her next collection!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews