Official Review: Silent Muse Poetry by Ariele Tee

[Koltrast]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Silent Muse Poetry" by Ariele Tee.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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It was with a sigh that I closed Silent Muse Poetry: A Tale of Heartbreak and Becoming after the last poem. Well, technically I scrolled to the last page and turned away from my computer, but you get the feeling. I had expected to be touched by the poems; I just had not expected to be that touched, as was evident by the tears in my eyes, now and several times during my read-through. Poet Ariele Tee has in this assembled a collection of poems that feel spoken straight from her heart. I am certain anyone who has experienced heartbreak, loss, or being hurt by a loved one will find their emotions expressed in the pages of Silent Muse Poetry.

As it is with poetry, no two pairs of eyes will see them in the same way. I have no doubt that the next time I pick up this book (read: open the file) I will find a whole new dimension to the poems. The subtitle brings it all together pretty well; this is a tale of heartbreak and becoming. It really does tell that tale, in a very raw, genuine way. Naturally, each poem could be read on their own, but when read together they compose a story beginning with part one: "The Buildup". Following are parts two through five named "The Release", "The Calm", "The Remains" and "The God in Me" respectively.

I have a multitude of notes on how the poems made me feel, what I thought they were about and what I believed the story as a whole was. If I attempted to summarise them here, this would turn less a review and more an analysis of the effect this book had on my own healing. As tempting as it is, I will save that for somewhere else. What can be said, however, is that Ariele Tee does an expert job of showcasing the roller-coaster ride of having your heart broken by someone, falling apart and then having to pick up all your pieces and putting them together. The poems take the reader through all the stages of grief; there was denial, there was bargaining, there was anger, then grief and then, ultimately, acceptance. After that came hope; hope for the future, hope for one’s own self, hope for those around and hope, even, for the one who caused the hurt in the first place.

The poems are written in the fashion of freestyle poetry, hence the reader need not expect neat lines with a steady rhythm and satisfying rhymes. The poet has dismissed many rules of writing, and freestyles punctuation and capitalisation. This can be done effectively, even adding to the poem, and indeed it sometimes does. Yet, quite often, I found it distracting, making it difficult to interpret the meaning of certain lines. One example of this would be her tendency to use semicolons in a way that in traditional writing would be incorrect (such as the line ”you are not allowed, to purposely; make me hurt” from the poem "Contract".) I believe the introductory line ”a collection of pretty things and spoken word poetry” ought to be taken literally; Ariele’s poems are meant to be spoken, tasted and felt - read them out loud. With this in mind, punctuation became a minor issue that didn’t at all take from the experience.

Very well edited and with only one, minor case of profanity, this book could be read by anyone who enjoys freestyle poetry. There are many mentions of God and prayer, and someone with a belief in God (or a god, goddess or universal force) could likely relate to those specific poems more than someone without. Nevertheless, as this is not the focus of the collection, I wouldn’t classify it as religious in any way.

In the end, Silent Muse Poetry: A Tale of Heartbreak and Becoming, felt like a heart-to-heart with the poet herself. And no wonder, as it is told from her own experience to anyone going through the same. This deeply genuine transparency of emotion was my favourite thing with this book, completely eradicating any frustration and confusion the punctuation may have caused. To me, this ”collection of pretty things and spoken word poetry” deserves nothing less than 4 out of 4 stars, and a heartfelt thank you from someone who needed a voice for her emotions.

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Silent Muse Poetry
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[Adanna Inya]

Wow! I went with you into the book. I can't say I understand how you felt, but I felt the intensity that the words in the poems might carry. I'll love to look at this collection sometime. Thank you for this emotion laden review.

[Dannyphery]

I'm adding this to my bookshelf...
Nice review

[hasincla]

Sounds like a bit of a harrowing read for those who relate strongly to the author's poems! I think I'd have to be in the right mindset to really enjoy this, so I'll pass for now. But in the future, it might be a great book to help get over heartbreak. Thank you for your honest review!

[JKO]

I am not a fan of poetry books. I will an exception to this one. However, I look forward to feeling the full range of emotions, as you did. Hopefully, I will enjoy it. Thanks for your excellent review.

[Splendour0606]

This book might not be a go for me,because I am not into poetry books,but I commend the real emotions I displayed.Nice review.

[Nujudee]

Poetry books?
I think I will rather pass.
Very excellent and impressive review.

[booksandmagicshop]

I especially love freestyle poetry. I feel like it really immerses the reader more. I'm always up for a set of love poems, whether that is pre or post love. Sounds like a phenomenal journey.

[Damis Seres Rodriguez]

As always, excellent review, my friend. Poetry has the talent of turning harshness into beauty and reading poetry about an experience that hurts can be so painful yet so...liberating. I'm very interested on this one!

[Koltrast]

Sounds like a bit of a harrowing read for those who relate strongly to the author's poems! I think I'd have to be in the right mindset to really enjoy this, so I'll pass for now. But in the future, it might be a great book to help get over heartbreak. Thank you for your honest review!

Personally, I wouldn't say harrowing. It was oddly comforting to see familiar emotions written out, but I do agree with you that you'd have to be in the right mindset to fully appreciate it. Thank you for commenting!

I especially love freestyle poetry. I feel like it really immerses the reader more. I'm always up for a set of love poems, whether that is pre or post love. Sounds like a phenomenal journey.

There's something about that style that captures emotions as they are felt.

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

You're right; poetry can evoke very different emotions depending on the reader. Thanks for your beautiful review!

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I am not much of a poem lover; But since you have mentioned how touching these poems are, I would like to give it a try. Thanks for the nice review

[Melisa Jane]

As a poetry fan, I understand exactly what it feels like to read a nicely written poem. I'll have a look at this book. Thanks for the review