Orangutan Teeth

by Trev Cimenski

This pocket-sized book is the debut poetry collection of internet poet Trev Cimenski. The poems of "Orangutan Teeth" loosely follow a miserable girl named Olive who loses her teeth as well as several first-person poems that all revolve around themes of self-consciousness and feeling uncomfortable in the world.

Genres: Poetry

88 pages, Paperback

Published August 25, 2022

Reviews

[Maria Gable · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to Trevor’s poetry on TikTok (of all places) when he popped up on my for you page. The first poem I heard him read, I wept over. Not because it was awful. I resonated with every word of every line. And the way Trevor reads them out… it’s not only exactly the way he likes for them to be heard, it’s beautiful. Close your eyes and smile beautiful.

My favorite poem from the book is HERESALISTOFWORDSILIKE

Check him out. I think you’ll enjoy!

[Leonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t really imagine I‘m going to be able to put into words how much I adore Trev Cimenski’s poetry without it turning into a soppy love letter to the poet that one day just showed up on my for you page and kept me captivated ever since. He just has this way of drawing you in, of allowing you to read his works with his voice in your mind and to tell utterly beautiful, sad, and ordinary things.
I’ve savoured this book for over a month, stopping to read a few pages every once in a while, because I did not want it to end. For some reason, Trev’s poetry just resonates with me, and it doesn’t feel forced or purposefully pressed into a form it is not supposed to fit into. This is quickly turning into one of the books I’ll revisit over and over, while I can’t wait for his next publication.

[Marge Moen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful! I loved everything about this. Read it slow, that is best I think…then repeat and repeat.

Too many favorites to list. My copy no longer looks new, there are notes inside about how the words made me feel and dog eared pages to revisit when I need to reflect.

[Chinasa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 because I think there is something here. I caught a glimpse of something salvageable every 10 pages or so. I just finished reading Langston Hughes and let me tell you, the comedown was a rough one. The world of “insta poetry” is an interesting realm to breach. I think Trev is better than most Instagram poets but this collection felt very amateur. What poet starts their introduction with “I’m sorry if you don’t like poetry. I don’t care for it a lot of the time either…” like bro what??? 😂 None of these felt as polished or interesting as the couple of his more viral ones that I originally heard recited online which was disappointing because I remember a couple of them being genuinely good but none of these were like those which is confusing. These poems and thoughts needed alot more time to cook but I liked a few. GOODMORNING was a standout.

[Luke Gorham · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know, I might have given this 1.5 or 2 had I not discovered this dude on TikTok, and entered into this collection with knowledge of his college cliche "poet's personality." Slightly better written than your standard TikTok/Insta-poetry, but still oppressively vapid. The images and metaphors he conjures aren't just facile in their language, but are also in service of soppy feels and shallow "psychological" bullshit. God, I hate to think what your average Zoomer believes poetry is, and I hate that the publishing industry has facilitated the deadening of the form's history and art. Collections like this are why I know the world is doomed.

[Elliana Jenness · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I know is that “Coffeedrip” is probably my favorite poem ever. ❤️

[L.B. Autry · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone who claims to have little idea of what he's doing Trev really did something here. His poetry readings on IG is what peaked my interest.

He has such a unique style and way of stringing words together in a beautiful way. I bookmarked my favorite poem 'Raindrops' with a piece of sea glass because that's all I had with me at the time of reading. 📖

I do have qualms with the quality of the actual book. Several pages were literally falling out of the book.

Amazon KDP...do better😡

Anyways I really enjoyed this read, it was short and sweet and not nearly as sad as the author promises.

A random plus is that the book size is so tiny it can fit in my purse. I recommend taking this book to a quiet Cafe, park, or beach and just enjoy yourself.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this on a Sunday, a lazy Sunday afternoon to be more specific. Laid out on the grass with dappled sunlight sneaking through the leaves of the maleleuca trees in my backyard. I heeded the advice in the intro to read it slow and out loud and I couldn't think of a better way to enjoy this collection.
This book was a lovely way to spend my time.

Stand out poems for me were

Years
Oliveandthesun
Body
Raindrop

Do yourself a favour and spend some time in the mind of Trev Cimenski, it's delightful.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This man speaks directly to my soul. I am speechless. This is one of the most stunning and perfect collections of poetry/prose it has ever been my pleasure to read. I will be keeping this book on my person at all times and will have to buy another copy for my bookshelf. Thank you Trev, your words are beautiful things.

[Jessica Hostetter · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a handful of poems I really liked. "Faith" and "Natural Disasters" were my favorites. There was a lot of talk of blood, and teeth, and skin, and those things kind of gross me out, but to be fair... the title is Orangutan Teeth, so that one's kind of on me. "You're" was spelled wrong a bunch of times and that was kind of distracting.

[Emily]

what a wonderful sneeze that was

[Allison Caruso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Incredible. Incredible.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found "Orangutan Teeth" to be exactly what I expected in someone's first attempt at a poetry book. Trev is very insightful to the spectrum of humanity's emotions, and in a few select poems in particular this quality shines through in brilliant use of literary devices. There is a lot of promise contained in the pages of this debut work, and I believe his next publication will show even more of this unique yet jarring style.

[Dani Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across Trevor on tiktok and it was his poem Raindrop. I instantly wanted more of the poetry so I bought the book. I already have favorites and I’ve already read it twice and my favorites resonate more and then I add favorites. I am really hoping he decides to do another book because it just makes me soul happy reading his work. I plan on buying for my friends as well.

[Ash Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this little book of poetry! Trev Cimenski is a lovely mix of playful, thought provoking, and just a beautiful writer.

[Lamanda Quiring · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Trev on TikTok and just had to get his book. His poems are some of my favorites. I love the poems about olive, and about coffee. I hope he keeps writing!

[Erin O'Mahony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to it first, then listened many times. I became overwhelmed with the desire to write and draw, mark and maim a paper copy of my own. It has been bliss.

I highly recommend getting the audio book.

[Thaddeus Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Came across this poet on Instagram and enjoyed so many of his poems I wanted to get his book.

So many good ones in this collection.

My favorites:
- coffeedrip
- pebbles
- hangry
- years

Give him a follow @trevcimenski / @of_a_hound

[Britta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't the usual style of poetry I like, and it was different than a lot of his videos, but I found a lot of these so endearing and whimsical. Some of them were reminiscent of reading Shel Silverstein as a child, especially with the little doodles

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read this book two times now, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop reading it…but it won’t be the poetry for just anyone. Worth every minute past midnight I stayed up to consume every letter.

[Jerica Rotger-Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trev is an incredible poet, this collection did not disappoint. Every poem was moving.

[katherine justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

i really liked the book. it took me a while to finish because of school but there are a lot of poems in there that i truly enjoyed. quite a few that hit home. and also quite a few that didn’t make sense to me at all. but as much as i love poetry, i am not an experienced poetry reader and it’s late so they probably just flew over my head. but i really did throughly enjoy this book.

ps, i think all poetry is better when it is read by its writer. and i think trev cimenski reads poetry — specifically his poetry — like no other. i could listen to it all day. @of_a_hound is his instagram (i don’t have tiktok so idk what his would be for that or if he even has it) and i would highly recommend going and listening to him read. it makes me happy

[Fleur · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75
I love Trev Cimenski’s work. I love his narrative, his perspective and his tone and I love the way he recites his own work, which is how I found him a few years ago. If you know me, you know I don’t like Instagram poetry. But this is different. It’s original. Sometimes it’s a little odd or even slightly uncomfortable. It feels more personal or intimate than most contemporary poetry I’ve read lately. I was a bit hesitant to read this myself but I recognised some of the poems and knowing how he reads it made me appreciate it more. Did I love his (seemingly?) random use of capitalisation and punctuation (or lack thereof)? No. But did I love his disregard for basic spelling? Also no. Still, I will definitely read his newest collection. And hope he used spell check this time.

[Rachel Nicole Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trev has a way of communicating the human condition onto a page in such few words. It is invigorating, captivating and encapsulates all into this collection of poetry. Excellent. Plus, I love the title.
Can’t wait to read the next collection of work!

~xo,
Rach

[Tabi (book.tabs) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good mixture of quirky and raw human experience. I enjoyed the character Olive and share her sentiments on skin.

Cimenski has a way of breathing life into his poems when spoken aloud. If you enjoy poetry even a little I recommend checking out his socials.

My fave poem was (ofc) about a dog:

LONLEYOLDDOG

Old boy always sat in the same spot.
And licks of wind scattered tufts of his fur
Like white dandelion seeds across the front yard.

And he pretended the wind had hands
To pet him with
And that it didn’t care about
Fur on its fingers
Or old dog smell on its palms.

That is what the wind is for.

It takes old leaves off trees
When they are no longer
Strong enough
To hold on.

It takes yesterday’s news
When nobody
Remembers it anymore.

And the wind
Took Old Boy
Who had grown awfully tired
Of always sitting in the
Same old spot.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t read much poetry. I never really understood those folks that obsessively memorize the Shakespeare sonnets.
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But then one day I saw Trev reading some of his work over on Instagram. His words spoke to my soul in a way poetry rarely had before. While I don’t know if I’ll be an avid poetry reader now…. I do know that I love to read and hear how Trev sees the world and how he expresses it artfully into words.
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When he released his first book of poetry I couldn’t get my hands on a copy fast enough and I had a lovely time discovering each poem. So cheers to him 🥂 on this debut collection. Do yourself a favor and go grab a copy :)

[Emily Harrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trev says he “sneezes” out these poems, which makes them boogers, but they are the kind of boogers you ate as a kid, or just have to open the tissue up to see. This is a gross analogy, but I also do not know how to express what his poetry makes me feel. Probably because I’m not a poet. But this little gem will stay on my bookshelf forever to be read and felt again and again. It will not be donated to the library or goodwill, so I suggest you go out and buy your own copy, because you will never get mine.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a little rough around the edges, with a few misuses of “your” and “you’re” and a few sentence structure issues that could be solved with a quick once over from an editor. That being said, his voice is strong and clear, his storytelling is powerful, each section of the book has purpose, and the drawings included were a lovely addition and didn’t feel forced or contrived. Definitely worth the purchase on Amazon!

[Kelsey Wisniewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book! There were so many times I said, “Ugh I love that” after I finished one of the poems. My favorites were Raindrop, Pebbles, Choosing Poem, Finger, Last Skin Poem, and multiple of the Untitled ones. Truly one of my new favorite poem books. I’m super happy to be supporting Trev too. His videos on Tiktok and his poems bring me a lot of peace

[Cameron Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really lovely book, I really found myself vividly picturing Trev's abstract poems. I have never read a book of poems before and I was surprised about how much I enjoyed it, it has inspired me to write some of my own, so thank you Trev I look forward to the next book.

Some personal favourites
-oldmanstrolling
-Pebbles
-Hangry
-Body
-Untitled (75)
-Raindrop
-Lastskinpoem