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Grief Tattoos
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First published October 28, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 27, 2014
"There are moments that leave imprints in your soul,/abrasions upon your dignity" writes Christopher Reilley, in "Grief Tattoos" the opening poem in this powerful and evocative collection which sets the tone for the rest of the collection. "When harbingers of the negative impart with a lasting kiss/a grief tattoo,/lest you forget that you ever hurt."
And for the next thirty pages in this collection, Reilley through his poetry shares grief, pain, anger, resentment, regret, and rage which are verbal snapshots of tormented souls looking for redemption as they sort out the pain and anger.
It's not all pain and suffering though. In one of my favorite poems in the collection, "On Your Seventh Birthday," Reilley, reflects on the life of presumably his daughter who is quickly growing up and he hopes that she is not growing up too fast so he can enjoy this special time in his daughter's life: "Your hands, once chubby and clumsy/have grown delicate, daring and clever./You are a child of summer./child of gentle breezes that carry your giggle/with the snap of tiger lily/and the crisp light of starlit skies." For any parent who has watched one of their children quickly growing up will appreciate this powerful poem.
I especially enjoyed the imagery and Reilley's use of language in this collection. The poetry in this collection soars. Everyone and everything is fair game in Reilly's world--even his ex-wife's lawyer in the appropriately titled poem, "Lawyer for an Ex-wife": "Betrayals blow on sour winds/curling greasy smoke into my eyes./I lose sight of angels/drifting over mermaids playing in green foam." Wow.
This is a very impressive debut chapbook by Reilley. The poems in this collection will stay with you long after you have finished reading them.
Jeffrey Miller,
Ice Cream Headache
And for the next thirty pages in this collection, Reilley through his poetry shares grief, pain, anger, resentment, regret, and rage which are verbal snapshots of tormented souls looking for redemption as they sort out the pain and anger.
It's not all pain and suffering though. In one of my favorite poems in the collection, "On Your Seventh Birthday," Reilley, reflects on the life of presumably his daughter who is quickly growing up and he hopes that she is not growing up too fast so he can enjoy this special time in his daughter's life: "Your hands, once chubby and clumsy/have grown delicate, daring and clever./You are a child of summer./child of gentle breezes that carry your giggle/with the snap of tiger lily/and the crisp light of starlit skies." For any parent who has watched one of their children quickly growing up will appreciate this powerful poem.
I especially enjoyed the imagery and Reilley's use of language in this collection. The poetry in this collection soars. Everyone and everything is fair game in Reilly's world--even his ex-wife's lawyer in the appropriately titled poem, "Lawyer for an Ex-wife": "Betrayals blow on sour winds/curling greasy smoke into my eyes./I lose sight of angels/drifting over mermaids playing in green foam." Wow.
This is a very impressive debut chapbook by Reilley. The poems in this collection will stay with you long after you have finished reading them.
Jeffrey Miller,
Ice Cream Headache
November 27, 2015
Heart felt and heartbreaking. A great read.
November 11, 2014
Now available for Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N17E29Y
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews