I Want to Tell You

by Jesse Lee Kercheval

In Jesse Lee Kercheval’s sixth collection, I Want To Tell You, her searching, incantatory poems speak directly and forcefully to the reader in a voice that is by turns angry, elegiac, wry, or witty but always sharply alive. Crossing through the bewildering territory of grief, Kercheval argues with god and the universe about the deaths of people she loves. She also writes movingly about the complications of family life and love, the messy puzzle of life itself. 

Genres: Poetry

73 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 31, 2023

Reviews

[Rachel Swearingen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and often haunting, collection. Many of the poems deal with loss, death, memory and the passage of time. "The Half Life of Grief" is gorgeous and unsettling. Some of my favorite poems are darkly humored and imaginative, as in the prose poem "[When you think about it]":

"When you think about it, the human skeleton is bad design--not modern, not to our taste. Baroque, those hollow eye sockets. Rococo, those snail-shell knuckles. We prefer clean lines, the silver robots of our nightmares/movies/comics."

[Kaitlin C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Want to Tell You is a stunning poetry collection from Jesse Lee Kercheval, a poet whose voice is by turns angry, elegiac, wry, and witty, but always sharply alive. These are poems that speak directly and forcefully to the reader, crossing through the bewildering territory of grief and arguing with god and the universe about the deaths of people she loves.

What makes this collection so powerful is its refusal to offer easy answers. Kercheval confronts grief head-on, but she also writes movingly about the complications of family life and love, the messy puzzle of life itself. There is anger here, and pain, but there is also wit and wryness and a fierce determination to keep speaking, keep telling the truth.

The poems are incantatory and searching, pulling you in with their rhythm and their honesty. Each poem feels like a direct address, a confession, a prayer, or an argument, sometimes all at once. Kercheval's voice is unforgettable, and her willingness to wrestle with the hardest questions is both brave and deeply moving.

If you love poetry, grief and love, or the work of Mary Oliver and Ada Limón, you need to read this collection. It is a quiet, powerful masterpiece that will stay with you

[Antonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, searching but intense, Jesse Lee Kercheval wrestles with the death of loved ones, ever mindful that she too will die. She questions god’s motives as well as his existence — not quite ready to give up on him, but not very confident in him, either. Or at least, that’s how I read it. The poems in this book comprise an exploration of grief and a search for meaning. But there is strength here, along with honesty and wit. When Kercheval writes “My name is Jesse. I write this to remember,” I want to applaud, to shout yes, yes, me too. You speak for me, for all of us.

[Cody Stetzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this work by Kercheval, outstanding.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is officially the first book of poetry that I’ve picked up of my own volition (out of my own collection no less) that has Truly resonated with me. 10 out of freaking 10 <3

[Kresha Warnock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read as much poetry as I would like, but this little book is so moving, speaks to the hard issues of life so deeply... I cannot recommend it enough.