Review of The graveyard and other poems

[Twanano Mageza]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The graveyard and other poems" by Mae Bea Sayes.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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The Graveyard: and other poems is a collection of an eclectic assortment of poems. The poems were all written by Mae Bea Sayes. The tone of the collection is mostly moody and introspective. The poems were written from an emotional place. A number of the poems spoke about death. They almost celebrated its darkness and ironic beauty.

From the tone of the cover art to the content of the book itself, there was always this lingering sense of a colourless, grey atmosphere. The cover was a great representation of what the poems were about. A lot of the poetry was about death, which gave the book a sombre, almost hopeless feel. I wonder what was happening in the author's life at the time they wrote these poems. Poetry is such a personal thing, and it almost always comes from an emotional place.

The book closed with "Early Childhood Memories" and "Book 2: The Stately Pines". These two poems were different in structure from the rest. They were longer, especially the former. It was almost written like a short story. The author remembered her childhood in the summer and the winter. The poem had an optimistic beginning, but the end fell right into that dark theme that persisted throughout the book. Winter's cold, grey, and miserable weather was never fun, and the author painted a vivid picture of her days experiencing the joy of summer and the misery of winter. I would say "Early Childhood Memories" was my favourite of all the poems because it was simple and relatable. The other poems were written using metaphors and hidden meanings, so they weren't very easy to understand or relate to.

I don't have many negative thoughts about this book. Apart from the hidden messages, many of the poems were beautiful and dark. I rate the collection 5 out of 5 stars because I appreciated almost everything I read. The hidden messages were a bit of a challenge, but even when I didn't fully grasp the message, I felt what the author was saying.

I would recommend the book to people who enjoy dark poetry. I would also recommend it to people who enjoy metaphors and similar figures of speech.

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The graveyard and other poems
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