“I’ll be your Manic Anxiety Queen: Poems” by J.R. Rogue
4⭐️/5⭐️
Thank you to Book Sprout and J.R. Rogue for providing an ARC, here is my honest review:
“I’ll be your Manic Anxiety Queen: Poems” is a collection of short poems, ranging from expressions of fear, sadness, joy, and hope. What I love about this book is that if anyone were to read it, they would undoubtedly find a poem to identify with. While the title initially made me think the book would only be ‘sad girl’ poems (which I love; I was a big Sylvia Plath fan in high school), I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of joy found in several poems. For instance, the poem “The Sound of Peace” is a short poem which expresses love and affection for someone, and the simple joy they receive in watching them sleep peacefully. There are other poems that have the ability to cut deep, and have really resonated with me. The poem “They Don’t Know Us” was hands down my favorite in the book; when I read it I immediately felt a connection.
The book itself feels like a culmination of feelings curated over the past two years. All of the tumultuous events happening all over the world have caused so many people to confront feelings that they have otherwise pushed aside. I found the poems to be quite approachable, especially for someone like me who doesn’t read very much poetry; it’s been many years since I last read a poetry book. Overall, I think so many people, not just women, will resonate with this book and the poems written by J.R. Rogue.