Saturday, July 28, 2018

Review: The Long Body That Connects Us All by Rich Marcello

About the Book

Published by Langdon Street Press on January 9, 2018.

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GoodReads Description

Provocative and profound, Rich Marcello's poems are compact but expansive, filled with music as seductive as their ideas, and focused mostly on how to be a good man. This is a collection of deep passion and wisdom for fathers, husbands, and sons, but also for mothers, wives, and daughters, many who began with a longing for the things they were taught to desire by their forefathers, only to later discover a different path, one lit by loss and welcoming of the vulnerable, one made of the long body that connects us all.

My Thoughts

If you've followed my blog for a while, you know that I like poetry but I don't really get the opportunity to review it as often as I would like.  I was ecstatic when Marcello approached me about the possibility of reviewing The Long Body That Connects Us All.  Not only did I get to read a book of poetry (YAY) but by a gentleman who really knows how to make words sing (DOUBLE YAY!).

My favorite part of Marcello's poetry was the way that each one resonated.  Yes, the meanings resonated with me and that was incredibly important.  However, each poem deserves to be read aloud so that a reader's ears can be pleased by how wonderfully he uses sound devices.  I have not seen alliteration, assonance, or consonance used so beautifully in such a long time.  Too often, people neglect these and focus only on imagery.  Don't misunderstand me, Marcello fills his poems with imagery.  But the way he ensures that his poems sound like music was what impressed me most of all.

The aforementioned imagery is stunning.  I loved that as I read each poem I could clearly see the scenes depicted for me.  I enjoyed the experience of having a bunch of mini-movies running through my brain.  These images filled me with such strong emotions that there were points I had to stop reading so that I could wipe the tears away.  Not only is sadness included, but the dazzling realism of just how emotional and meaningful the world we live in is when we take the time to see it.

I am so in love with these poems, but I know that at 26 there is no way I could understand all of his meanings.  There are just so many things he talks about that you don't go through until you're older than I am now. I can't wait to revisit this collection later in my life and see how the meaning of each poem changes for me.

My Rating



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