What is poetry? This art form isn’t willing to be defined, labeled, or nailed down. Its words are the chiseled marble of language. It is a paint-spattered canvas, but the poet uses words instead of paint, and you are the canvas.
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-poetry-852737
Notes from the Bonfire isn’t a book of poems you want to read if you are depressed. Rather dark and heavy, this is a book where bewilderment and desperation are heard in the lines of these poems. The fact that the author wrote these poems while sick with Covid-19 amazes me. When I’m sick, the last thing I think about doing is writing.
I’m not a huge fan of poetry, but the hopelessness and resentment in these poems reached out and grabbed hold of me. This book won’t cheer you up or make you feel better, but even in the darkness there is some light. If you want to see into the mind of one affected by sickness—especially Covid-19—you want to read these poems.
Poems such as “When The World Ended,” “Ode To The Virus,” and “A Thousand Deaths Per Day” are just as dark as their titles.
“Sick With Mono”- I’ve had mono before. How did it make me feel? My bones, along with the rest of me, were overflowing with a negative amount of energy. Any thoughts I had were confused. Basically, this poem pretty much sums it up.
“Down the Rabbithole” is my favorite poem in this collection. To me, it isn’t as dark as many of the other poems, and it is written straight down, which is exactly how you would fall if you were falling down a rabbit hole.
But even in the darkest of times, hope is present. Poems such as “Prayer Of The Atheist,” “I’m Alive,” and “World Suicide Prevention Day” are grasping for hope in a dark world.
Did I enjoy this book? Yes. Even though the poetry is somewhat dark and depressing, I did enjoy reading it.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. There are people who greatly enjoy reading dark things, and it gives great insight into how one’s mind is affected by fever and illness. This would be especially helpful to authors.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you would like a copy of Notes From The Bonfire to experience for yourself, I’ve provided an Amazon link below.
Amazon Link – Notes From the Bonfire: Poems in the Age of Coronavirus
Recommended Articles:
That Book Is Kind Of Dark – Guest Post by Matt Nagin
Butterflies Lost Within The Crooked Moonlight – a Review
Do Not Feed the Clown – a Review
Favorite Lines:
Each of the below passages is from a different poem.
Do you hear me, God? Will you hold my hand? There has never been a better day to jump off a bridge, get consumed by an alligator, eat the pills, slit the throat right where it counts. Some people die others replace them; humans are just spare parts— people have no respect for each other— they trample where they can, seize every last jewel, decry injustice, bicker about the horrid disarray of it all. There is a way out from under the crummy blankets, a passageway back to God.
New Words Learned:
ennui – a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom
functionary – a person who functions in a specified capacity, especially in government service; an official:
spuriousness – deceptiveness
villanelle – a short poem of fixed form, written in tercets, usually five in number, followed by a final quatrain, all being based on two rhymes.
About the Author:
Matt Nagin is an author, educator, actor, filmmaker, and standup comedian. He has been published in Writer’s Digest, The New York Post, Mic.com, The Humor Times, The Higgs-Weldon, Grain Magazine, Arsenic Lobster, Spillway, Dash, Antigonish Review, and many, many more. His first book of poetry (Butterflies Lost Within The Crooked Moonlight) was released in 2017.
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