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Review of Short Poems, Long Tales

Posted: 17 Nov 2021, 13:45
by Storm+
[Following is a volunteer review of "Short Poems, Long Tales" by Rashid Osmani.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Short Poems, Long Tales by Rashid Osmani is a collection of poetry about practically every topic imaginable. Filled with 101 short poems, this book includes poetry about life, love, religion, addiction, and approximately 97 more interesting and complex topics. While some of the topics covered and opinions expressed in these poems are likely to be viewed as controversial by most readers, there’s at least one poem in this book for everyone.

One of my favorite aspects of poetry is how subjective it is to read. Everything from the format and punctuation down to the content of each piece can be interpreted a thousand different ways. Short Poems, Long Tales was no different. Each time I read one of Osmani’s poems, I found myself interpreting it differently. Each poem carried its own deeper significance, which was almost always subject to change based on my general mental state and lived reality in that moment. As is the case with all good poetry, I was able to witness the poet as he grappled with complex topics, but, at times, I felt so deeply involved with the text that I couldn't help but feel like I was the poet.

There wasn’t anything that I disliked about this book. There were hardly any errors, and the overall content was well-written and engaging, albeit sometimes a bit dark and pessimistic. Adding more punctuation (mostly commas) to the poems might make them a bit more easy to read, but this is not a necessary step to make the book more readable. In fact, some poems would be perfectly fine with or without punctuation. It’s just a matter of the reader’s preferred style.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys poetry, particularly poetry that can be interpreted differently each time you read it. If you’re looking for concrete answers to life’s questions, you will not find them here. However, if you’re simply looking for a way to not feel alone in your own struggles, you’re in the right place.

I would not recommend this book to younger readers or people who might be triggered by sensitive topics. There are mentions of addiction, suicide, and various other topics that might be triggering to many readers. Otherwise, I believe that this book would be appealing to most audiences.

I decided to rate Short Poems, Long Tales by Rashid Osmani 4 out of 4 stars. I felt that this book was excellent. Although I acknowledge that there are likely some audiences who may not like reading this book as much as I did, I very much enjoyed the time I spent with Osmani's work. I highly recommend this book.

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Short Poems, Long Tales
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